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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.
Prof
Neil
FRENCH
N.French@liverpool.ac.uk
Danielle
Mclaughlan
Danielle.Mclaughlan1@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
Influenza and pneumonia
This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.
Pneumonia (chest infection) is one of the most common reasons for hospital admission in the UK and is a very important global health issue. The most common cause is a bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). Every year around the world pneumococcal infections kill more than one million people.
At any one time at least 10% of people have pneumococcus in their nose but it does not cause any problems - this is called pneumococcal carriage. Sometimes pneumococcus spreads to cause sinus or ear infections, pneumonia, or meningitis. Exactly how or why this happens is not fully understood. This knowledge could improve vaccines and treatments. Certain people have higher rates of pneumococcal pneumonia – the elderly, young children and people living with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS). Pneumonia is the most common serious complication of pneumococcal carriage so it is the focus of this study.
It appears there is a delicate balance in the nose with pneumococcus – developing a serious infection is not good for the person or the bacteria. A white blood cell – a regulatory T cell – lets the body ignore the pneumococcus and in doing so this protects the person from developing pneumonia.
In HIV infection, regulatory T cells are attacked by the virus, which means they do not work properly. This might be one reason why people living with HIV get more pneumonia.
The investigators wish to look at the regulatory T cells of healthy people, people living with HIV and people with pneumococcal pneumonia.
From a total of 30 people we will collect one blood sample and one nose wash sample. We will perform experiments on these samples to examine the immune cells in detail. This study aims to provide evidence that regulatory T cells are required for protection against pneumococcus.
Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.
The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:
Observational type: Cross-sectional;
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
For all participants: - Unable or unwilling to provide informed consent for participation in study. - Treatment with nasal, oral or parenteral corticosteroids in preceding six months or ongoing. - Any diagnosis of a respiratory disorder that requires regular inhaled corticosteroids in excess of beclometasone dipropionate equivalent dose 400 micrograms in 24 hours. - Pregnancy. Additional exclusion criteria for the acute pneumococcal pneumonia group: - Treatment with antibiotics within the preceding 12 weeks (does not include ongoing antibiotic treatment for CAP). - Arterial oxygen saturation level of 87% or below on room air. Additional exclusion criteria for high-risk of pneumococcal disease group: - Detectable HIV viral load > 2000/mL in most recent measurement. - Ongoing or recent treatment with antibiotics (within the preceding 12 weeks). Additional exclusion criteria for low-risk of pneumococcal disease group: - Any ongoing health issues that have required treatment within secondary care facilities within the six months prior to screening visit. - Ongoing or recent treatment with antibiotics (within the preceding 12 weeks).
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
Prof
Neil
FRENCH
N.French@liverpool.ac.uk
Danielle
Mclaughlan
Danielle.Mclaughlan1@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
The study is sponsored by University of Liverpool and funded by Medical Research Council (MRC) .
Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.
Read full details
for Trial ID: CPMS 33879
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