Monitoring vaccine-preventable respiratory and stomach infections in children
IP21-002, Surveillance for Vaccine Preventable Disease in Children
This project follows children who come to Texas Children’s Hospital with breathing or stomach illnesses and compares them to healthy children to find which viruses and bacteria are causing illness.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11138412 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If my child goes to the emergency room or is hospitalized with breathing problems or diarrhea, doctors may ask to collect nose/throat swabs or a stool sample. Healthy children coming for well-child visits at participating clinics may also be asked for swabs or stool to serve as comparison samples. The samples are tested in specialized labs for many viruses and bacteria, like flu, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, enteroviruses, rotavirus, and norovirus. Vaccination records are collected so researchers can link infections to vaccine history and better understand which germs lead to serious illness.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children who come to Texas Children’s Hospital emergency departments or are admitted with respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms, and healthy children attending participating pediatric clinics for well visits, are the ideal participants.
Not a fit: Adults, children without respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms, or anyone not receiving care at the participating hospitals or clinics are unlikely to benefit directly from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could help identify the main germs making children sick so hospitals and public health officials can prevent and treat infections more effectively.
How similar studies have performed: This project builds on the national New Vaccine Surveillance Network and similar surveillance programs that have successfully tracked pediatric pathogens and informed vaccine and prevention strategies.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- Baylor College of Medicine — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Boom, Julie Anne — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Boom, Julie Anne
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.