Lactamica 7
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Lactamica 7: Defining the immune response to nasopharyngeal colonisation by the commensal Neisseria lactamica
IRAS ID
239175
Contact name
Adam P Dale
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
RHM MED 1529, University Hospital Southampton R&D Number
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Neisseria lactamica is a ‘good bacteria’ that harmlessly lives in the nose and throat of young children. Neisseria meningitidis is a closely related ‘bad bacteria’ that lives naturally in the nose and throat of adolescents and young adults. Unlike N. lactamica, N. meningitidis can cause serious infections including meningitis.
In our previous work, we showed that we could safely reduce the number of people carrying the N. meningitidis by introducing N. lactamica into their noses. We do not yet know why this effect occurs. One theory suggests that the immune system’s response to the N. lactamica cross-reacts with N. meningitidis and, in doing so, eradicates N. meningitidis from the nose and throat.
This project will study the body’s immune response to the good bacteria, by introducing N. lactamica into the noses of healthy volunteers (aged 18-45 years). The volunteers will then be reviewed three times over one month at the Clinical Research Facility (CRF), University Hospital Southampton, where blood samples, throat swabs, and nose secretion and wash samples will be taken. We will study the immune cells and chemicals in these samples, and we aim to find out if the immune response cross-reacts with N. meningitidis.
By better understanding the immune system in the nose and throat, and the interactions between good and bad bacteria living there, we hope to improve the development of vaccines that prevent carriage of N. meningitidis which we know is a pre-requisite to the development of invasive disease/meningitis.
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/SC/0311
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jul 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion