Page 8 - Immunology_11_2021
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SPECIALITY
Microbiome discovery could
help save kids’ hearing
acteria found in children’s
upper respiratory systems
Bcould help fight chronic middle
ear infections, the leading cause of
preventable hearing loss and deafness
in Indigenous communities.
The University of Queensland’s
Dr Seweryn Bialasiewicz said this
discovery helped explain a long-held
mystery, while providing hope for
potential treatments.
“We’ve been puzzled for years now,
trying to work out why some children
never develop chronic ear disease,
despite being in a high-risk category
for contracting it,” Dr Bialasiewicz said.
“By focusing on the microbiomes infections develop and could pave “Our discovery could be applied
in the upper respiratory tracts of the way for new treatments. across the world, helping
disease-resistant kids, we could improve health and reducing the
investigate the ecological networks of “Chronic middle ear infections disadvantage gap for a wide range
bacterial interactions that seemed to can affect between one third to of people,” he said.
be working together to protect against one half of Aboriginal and Torres
the condition. Strait Islander children, which is far The team has acknowledged the
above the four per cent threshold support of the Deadly Ears team,
“It was clear that these two groups that the World Health Organisation the Queensland Health’s statewide
of bacteria needed to not only be considers as a disease needing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
present, but to be interacting with urgent public health action,” Dr Ear Health Program doing on-the-
each other, to provide protection from Coleman said. ground treatment and education,
middle ear infections.” as well as the generous assistance
“This disease can cause hearing of parents and children within the
Dr Bialasiewicz said they were hoping loss and can have life-long participating communities.
to use this information to figure impacts on speech and language
out what the exact mechanism of development, education, and future Story Source:
protection is, and then mimic it in the employment prospects, and in Materials provided by University of
very young children, as a therapy or a Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queensland. Note: Content may be
preventative measure. populations contributes to the wide edited for style and length.
gap in educational and employment
“This could take the form of a outcomes.” Journal Reference:
molecule that can be used as a 1. Andrea Coleman, Julian Zaugg,
drug for treatment, or as a protective The study investigated the Amanda Wood, Kyra Cottrell, Eva
probiotic so that these ‘good’ bacteria microbiomes of 103 children Grahn Håkansson, Jasmyn Adams,
can be seeded in the nose early aged two to seven from two north Matthew Brown, Anders Cervin,
enough to offer protection against the Queensland communities. Seweryn Bialasiewicz. Upper
incoming ‘bad’ bacteria,” he said. Respiratory Tract Microbiome of
Dr Bialasiewicz said chronic Australian Aboriginal and Torres
Dr Andrea Coleman, who completed middle ear infections resulting Strait Islander Children in Ear
her PhD work on the project this in hearing loss was a major and Nose Health and Disease.
year, said the research provided a problem with Indigenous and other Microbiology Spectrum, 2021; 9 (2)
new perspective on how middle ear disadvantaged populations globally. DOI: 10.1128/Spectrum.00367-21
8 IMMUNOLOGY NEWS