Microbiology Studies of Acute Head and Neck Infections
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Identifying the Microorganisms Responsible for Acute Head and Neck Infections.
IRAS ID
315550
Contact name
Alexandra Woodacre
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Northampton
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 3 months, 13 days
Research summary
Acute head and neck infections have affected humans for decades. While these infections are no longer considered lethal, they can still develop into life threatening diseases such as meningitis and sepsis etc. The direct cause of acute head and neck infections is often unknown but, it has been suggested that they are due to a disturbance of the normal flora and/or dental origin. The most common microorganism related to these infections are viridans group streptococci (VGS). There is a lack of species identification within the hospital setting. VGS are difficult to identify at a species level because of their variability but have been characterised into six major groups. There are over 30 recognised species. This project aims to gain a further understanding of acute head and neck infections, attempting to identify the most common bacterial species causing these infections, by analysing patient data and clinical outcomes, i.e., Length of hospital stay.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/0959
Date of REC Opinion
9 Aug 2022
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion