Infant respiratory infections and subsequent asthma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigation of the relationship between different respiratory tract infections in acute bronchiolitis and the development of later recurrent childhood wheeze
IRAS ID
218549
Contact name
Michael Shields
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Belfast HSC Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
In this study we plan to conduct a follow up study of children who were diagnosed with bronchiolitis before the age of six months and were tested for common respiratory infections (respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human rhinovirus (HRV)). Parents will be contacted by post and asked to complete a short questionnaire about their child’s health focussing on symptoms related to wheezing, asthma and eczema. This will allow us to begin to investigate the relationship between early respiratory infections and later development of asthma.
We have found that the fungus pneumocystis jirovecii (PJ) is also commonly found in children less than six months presenting with bronchiolitis. Very recent laboratory research in animals has shown that infection with Pnemocystis can cause an immune mediated reaction similar to what is seen in asthma. Furthermore, we know that a subset of adult patients with severe asthma have significantly higher levels of antibodies related to Pneumocystis compared with other groups. This raises the question that infection with Pneumocystis at a young age could prime an immune response that increases the likelihood of asthma.
The purpose is to find out if acute bronchiolitis caused by either of the two common viruses when combined with Pneumocystis is associated with increased risk of recurrent wheezing and symptoms of asthma in later childhood.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0157
Date of REC Opinion
8 Mar 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion