Biofilms and intracellular infection in otitis media
Ruth Thornton A B * , Elke Seppanen B and Sharon Clark B CA Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
B Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia.
C School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Dr Ruth Thornton is a Passe and Williams Foundation Mid-Career Research Fellow, Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Child Health Research at the University of Western Australia and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Telethon Kids Institute. She co-leads the Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group. Dr Thornton is a translational microbiologist and immunologist with considerable experience in host–pathogen interactions. She currently leads the ATOMIC ears clinical trial at Perth Children’s Hospital, investigating the safety and effectiveness of using an anti-biofilm agent to treat recurrent and chronic otitis media. |
Dr Elke Seppanen is Program Manager of the Bacterial Respiratory Disease Group, Telethon Kids Institute. Dr Seppanen has extensive experience in immunology, cell and molecular biology and clinical lab coordination and supports the team’s vision to reduce the global burden of ear and lung disease through discovery, translation and collaboration. |
Ms Sharon Clark is a PhD student in the Bacterial Respiratory Disease Group, Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccine and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute and University of Western Australia. Ms Clark’s research focusses on understanding the immunology and biofilm biology of chronic and recurrent otitis media, to find better ways to treat and prevent otitis media in children. |
Microbiology Australia 44(2) 88-91 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA23025
Submitted: 21 February 2023 Accepted: 1 May 2023 Published: 12 May 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the ASM. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
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. Chronic and recurrent OM are recalcitrant to current therapies due to the formation of biofilms and intracellular biofilm pods by otopathogens on the middle ear mucosa and within the middle ear fluid. These pathogens actively hijack the children’s own immune response and persist in the neutrophil extracellular trap-derived DNA in the middle ear. Children who suffer from chronic and recurrent forms of OM have also been shown to have reduced antibody levels to important anti-biofilm protein antigens. These both represent potential targets for treatment or prevention and are under investigation.
Keywords: biofilms, glue ear, intracellular infection, neutrophil extracellular traps, otitis media.
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