title: No evidence for impaired humoral immunity to pneumococcal proteins in Australian Aboriginal children with otitis media.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Australian Aboriginal population experiences disproportionately high rates of otitis media (OM). Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the main pathogens responsible for OM and currently no vaccine offering cross strain protection exists. Vaccines consisting of conserved antigens to S. pneumoniae may reduce the burden of OM in high-risk populations; however no data exists examining naturally acquired antibody in Aboriginal children with OM.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum and salivary IgA and IgG were measured against the S. pneumoniae antigens PspA1 and 2, CbpA and Ply in a cross sectional study of 183 children, including 36 non-Aboriginal healthy control children and 70 Aboriginal children and 77 non-Aboriginal children undergoing surgery for OM using a multiplex bead assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences were observed between the 3 groups for serum anti-PspA1 IgA, anti-CbpA and anti-Ply IgG and for all salivary antibodies assessed. Aboriginal children with a history of OM had significantly higher antibody titres than non-Aboriginal healthy children with no history of OM and non-Aboriginal children with a history of OM for several proteins in serum and saliva. Non-Aboriginal children with a history of OM had significantly higher salivary anti-PspA1 IgG than healthy children, while all other titres were comparable between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Conserved vaccine candidate proteins from S. pneumoniae induce serum and salivary antibody responses in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children with a history of OM. Aboriginal children do not have an impaired antibody response to the antigens measured from S. pneumoniae and they may represent vaccine candidates in Indigenous populations.
authors.affiliation: School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, GPO Box D184, Perth, Western Australia, 6840, Australia; Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, 100 Roberts Road, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008, Australia. Electronic address: ruth.thornton@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Ruth B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.affiliation: School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, GPO Box D184, Perth, Western Australia, 6840, Australia; Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, 100 Roberts Road, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008, Australia. Electronic address: lea-ann.kirkham@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Lea-Ann S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Kirkham
authors.affiliation: School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, GPO Box D184, Perth, Western Australia, 6840, Australia; Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, 100 Roberts Road, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008, Australia. Electronic address: karli.corscadden@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Karli J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Corscadden
authors.affiliation: School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, GPO Box D184, Perth, Western Australia, 6840, Australia; Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, 100 Roberts Road, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008, Australia; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Roberts Road, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008, Australia. Electronic address: harvey.coates@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Harvey L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Coates
authors.affiliation: School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, GPO Box D184, Perth, Western Australia, 6840, Australia; Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, 100 Roberts Road, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008, Australia; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Roberts Road, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008, Australia. Electronic address: shyan_vijayasekaran@me.com.
authors.forename: Shyan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vijayasekaran
authors.affiliation: School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, GPO Box D184, Perth, Western Australia, 6840, Australia. Electronic address: 20352947@student.uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hillwood
authors.affiliation: School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, GPO Box D184, Perth, Western Australia, 6840, Australia. Electronic address: 20348782@student.uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toster
authors.affiliation: School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, GPO Box D184, Perth, Western Australia, 6840, Australia. Electronic address: 20348263@student.uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Phillipa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Edminston
authors.affiliation: School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, GPO Box D184, Perth, Western Australia, 6840, Australia; School of Public Health, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia, 6845, Australia. Electronic address: guicheng.zhang@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Guicheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Roberts Road, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008, Australia. Electronic address: Anthony.Keil@health.wa.gov.au.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keil
authors.affiliation: School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, GPO Box D184, Perth, Western Australia, 6840, Australia; Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, 100 Roberts Road, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008, Australia; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Roberts Road, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008, Australia. Electronic address: peter.richmond@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Richmond
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D001315:Australia; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D056724:Immunity, Humoral / Q000276:immunology*; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000208:ethnology / Q000276:immunology*; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines
keywords: Antibody responses; Australian Aboriginal; Immune response; Indigenous; Otitis media; Streptococcus pneumoniae