Possible New Vaccine for Ear and
Sinus Infection Treatment
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The following press release describes efforts underway to develop a new vaccine for ear and sinus infection treatment for children. In particular, this document discusses ear infections in children, some of which can result in permanent hearing loss. However, in another news story, Dr Pichichero, leader of the research effort at the University of Rochester Medical Center, is quoted as saying that the same strain of bacteria that is being targeted for this vaccine, called NTHi, is also a leading cause of sinus infections. Referring to NTHi, Dr. Pichichero was quoted in a Reuters article as follows: “ ‘For ear infections they are the No. 1 cause, for sinus |
infections they are the No. 1 cause and for bronchitis in adults they are the No. 1 cause, but they do not invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening illness in normal people,’ Pichichero said in a telephone interview”.
It is not clear if the doctor was referring to the number one cause for children or for the general population. If his remarks referred to the latter, there would no doubt be disagreement among experts.
In any case this new vaccine could prevent many ear infections and even hearing loss in children. The Rochester team has a distinguished record of producing vaccines for children, as the press release below indicates.
Since the press release on Sep. 26, 2006, I have been in contact with Mr. Greg Williams of the Univ. of Rochester, and he sent me the following update regarding funding of this project:
Hi Walter:
Please note that the attached release has been altered in one quite significant detail. The grant from the NIDCD is not in yet. The researcher here has two grants toward this research goal, but the third one is pending and will not be decided upon until the NIH gets its fiscal year 2007 appropriation from the U.S. Congress. We found this out at 5 p.m. yesterday. We are in the position of having to try to steer this already underway media story toward accuracy. So please be sure to inform people that, while the work is ongoing, a major portion of the research funding is TBD.
Apologies.
Greg
Here is the text of Greg’s Press release, reprinted with permission:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 26, 2006
Vaccine Design Underway Against the Leading Cause of Childhood Hearing Loss
Daycare Continues to Drive Increase in Ear Infections Nationwide
Researchers are getting set to developing the first vaccine against the leading cause of childhood hearing loss. A team at the University of Rochester Medical Center has received funding to determine why a bacterial ear infection called acute otitis media causes pain, fluid buildup and hearing loss in some children, but not in others. Based on recent breakthroughs and the pace of the work, researchers said preliminary clinical trials for a new vaccine could begin next year.
In the age of daycare, 83 percent of U.S. children experience one or more ear infections by age three. In some cases hearing loss becomes permanent. Even when temporary, month-long bouts of hearing loss can result in developmental setbacks, especially when several occur in a single year.
A bacterial strain called Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is the current leading cause of ear infections, including acute otitis media. Another pathogen, pneumococcal bacteria, was the principle cause of both otitis media and spinal meningitis in children until technology developed at the Medical Center led to the introduction in 2000 of the Prevnar vaccine. It caused the incidence of pneumococcal infection to decline dramatically, and NTHi emerged as the leading cause of ear infections starting in 2001. Thanks to the new grants, the same institution is now positioned to lead the drive toward an NTHi vaccine.
"Otitis media is the no. 1 reason that children receive antibiotic treatment following a doctor’s office visit, and we believe it can be prevented through vaccination,” said Michael Pichichero, M.D., professor of Microbiology, Immunology, Pediatrics, and Medicine at the Medical Center. “We expect to explain how some kids naturally protect themselves, and to package that protection for those who can’t,” said Pichichero, project leader for the research effort.
The speed with which a new vaccine is designed will depend on whether children’s ability to fight off otitis media is determined by immune cells in their ear mucus, or by cells circulating in their blood and lymph vessels, Pichichero said. If immune cells (antibodies) in the blood are most important, vaccine development will proceed rapidly because microbiologists have plenty of experience with vaccines delivered through the standard shot in the arm. If the solution lies with ear mucus antibodies, the team will need to create a new kind of vaccine science.