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The primary question of this project is 'Do respiratory viruses explain high rates of acute otitis media with perforation (AOMwiP) in young Aboriginal children in remote Australia?'.
The VIABLE study is a retrospective analysis of clinical trial specimens and data. The project is using stored nasopharyngeal swabs collected at monthly visits from children less than 18 months of age with AOM with perforation and from children without AOM to determine the prevalence of respiratory viruses (influenza A and B; respiratory syncytial virus; parainfluenza 1,2 & 3; rhinovirus, adenovirus, human metapneumovirus). The AOM-pathogen-specific load (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis) will be quantified, and also total bacterial load prior to and at the time of perforation. Mathematical models of bacterial load and viral infection will be applied to test the hypothesis that viral infection directly or indirectly increases the risk of AOMwiP.
Child Health Division
Menzies School of Health Research
PO Box 41096
Casurina NT 0811
Ph: (08) 8922 8196
Fax: (08) 8927 5187