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Pathogens on the rise: is impaired immunity the cause of chronic ear and chest infections?

Ruth Elke Peter Thornton Seppanen Richmond PhD BSc PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP Co-head, Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group (BRIDG) Program

Immunogenicity and Safety of a 2 + 1 DTPa Priming Schedule in Australian Infants and the Impact of Maternally Derived Antibodies on Pertussis Antibody Responses up to 4 Years of Age

We assessed the impact of maternally derived pertussis antibodies on infant responses to a 2 + 1 vaccine schedule (6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 12 months). Infants with baseline antibodies showed lower IgG responses following the primary vaccination series, but this did not impair booster responses at 4 years of age.

Nasal Delivery of Haemophilus haemolyticus Is Safe, Reduces Influenza Severity, and Prevents Development of Otitis Media in Mice

Despite vaccination, influenza and otitis media (OM) remain leading causes of illness. We previously found that the human respiratory commensal Haemophilus haemolyticus prevents bacterial infection in vitro and that the related murine commensal Muribacter muris delays OM development in mice. The observation that M muris pretreatment reduced lung influenza titer and inflammation suggests that these bacteria could be exploited for protection against influenza/OM.

Haemophilus influenzae remains the predominant otitis media pathogen in Australian children undergoing ventilation tube insertion in the PCV13 era

Understanding patterns of bacterial carriage and otitis media (OM) microbiology is crucial for assessing vaccine impact and informing policy. The microbiology of OM can vary with geography, time, and interventions like pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs). We evaluated the microbiology of nasopharyngeal and middle ear effusions in children living in Western Australia, 11 years following the introduction of PCV13.

Dornase alfa as an adjunct therapy to treat chronic ear infections

Chris Glenn Lea-Ann Peter Ruth Brennan-Jones Pearson Kirkham Richmond Thornton PhD BA (Education) PhD Candidate PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP PhD Head, Ear

Evaluation of a bacterial therapy for prevention of respiratory infection including influenza and otitis media

Deborah Lea-Ann Peter Ruth Strickland Kirkham Richmond Thornton PhD PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP PhD Head, Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Co-Head,

Microbiological and immunological factors predicting surgical outcomes for chronic otitis media

Lea-Ann Peter Ruth Kirkham Richmond Thornton PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP PhD Co-Head, Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group; Microbiology Lead,

Evaluating the impact of the ‘Blow, Breathe, Cough’ health promotion intervention in resolving otitis media with effusion in children: An adaptive randomized-controlled trial protocol

Otitis media with effusion (OME) affects hearing, speech development, and quality of life (QoL) in children. The 'Blow, Breathe, Cough' (BBC) intervention promotes nasal, respiratory, and middle ear clearance through nose blowing, deep breathing, coughing, and hand hygiene. It shows promise in resolving OME but lacks randomized-controlled trial (RCT) evaluation. This paper presents a RCT protocol evaluating BBC's effect on OME resolution, hearing, speech, and QoL in children aged two to seven years.

Community immunity: Developing a sensitive and specific SARS-CoV-2 antibody test

Peter Richmond MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP Head, Vaccine Trials Group Head, Vaccine Trials Group Professor Peter Richmond is Head of the Vaccine Trials Group

Biofilms and intracellular infection in otitis media

Otitis media (OM), middle ear infection, represents a significant burden on children, their families, and the healthcare system. OM is the major cause of hearing loss in children and if left untreated in children who suffer chronic and recurrent forms of OM, this disease can have serious life-long sequelae.