Reduction of capsular production of S.pneumoniae in children of acute otitis media

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24592556
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Otorhinolaryngology
• Research Institution: Wakayama Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Togawa Akihisa 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (70305762)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): Yamanaka Noboru 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (10136963) ; Ikeda Yorihiko 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (20423949) ; Ogami Masashi 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 博士研究員 (90423946)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 肺炎球菌 / フェーズ変化 / 莢膜

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Streptococcus pneumoniae, a leading cause of acute otitis media (AOM), undergoes spontaneous intra-strain phase variations such as transparent or opaque in colony morphology depending on the capsular productionsynthesis. Most isolates of S.pneumoniae are mixed population of transparent and Opaque colony phenotypes.The pneumococcus exhibit spontaneous phase variation between Transparent variants with thin capsule and Opaque variants with thick capsule。Sub-MIC levels of clarithromycin reduced the capsule of inter-cellular invaded pneumococci. The effect of clarithromycin against pneumococcal phase variation will suggest that clarithromycin would reduce the virulence of pneumococci

Free Research Field

感染症