中耳炎病態の解析と中耳炎粘膜ワクチンの開発

抄録

Otitis media (OM) is one of the most common infectious diseases encountered in children. Acute otitis media (AOM) occurs most frequently in the first year of life, and more than half of all children have suffered from otitis media by the age of 3 years. Otitis media with effusion (OME) is also prevalent in children by the age of 6 years. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis are the major causative bacteria of acute otitis media. These bacteria are also detected in middle ear effusion fluid sampled from patients with OME. Various factors, including environmental, host, and bacteriological factors, are involved in the recurrence of AOM and transition to chronic OM. Because of the varied manifestations of OM, basic research using animal models is important for investigating the pathology of OM and mucosal immunity, in order to elucidate its basic features as a disease entity. However, results in animal models may differ from the pathological findings of OM in humans, and their applicability to humans with OM needs to be carefully considered. To date, research on mucosal vaccines against otitis media has been conducted mainly in animal models, and intranasal, sublingual, and subcutaneous routes of delivery of mucosal vaccines are being developed with the aim of inducing protective immune responses against mucosal pathogens in the upper airway. In this article, we report on animal models of OM and on the recent approaches adopted for the development of mucosal vaccines, which are expected to lead to clinical application of the vaccine.