Publications by authors named "M A Ulanova"
Health inequalities in respiratory tract infections - beyond COVID-19.
Curr Opin Infect Dis
December 2024
Purpose Of Review: To discuss recent findings on the global burden of respiratory tract infections in underprivileged populations, highlighting the critical role of socioeconomic factors in the incidence and severity of these diseases, with a particular focus on health disparities affecting Indigenous communities.
Recent Findings: Pulmonary tuberculosis and lower respiratory tract infections, particularly those caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), continue to disproportionally impact populations in low-income countries and Indigenous communities worldwide. Indigenous children <5 years old bear the highest global burden of RSV infection, reflecting persistent social inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations.
This article examines the complicated terrain of immunization acceptance and access among Indigenous peoples in northern Ontario by drawing on conversations held prior to 2019 that explored knowledge about Haemophilus influenzae type a (Hia) infection specifically and attitudes toward vaccines more broadly. In the decade preceding COVID-19, Hia emerged as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Indigenous communities in northern Canada. Before developing new vaccines, it is imperative to hold conversations with the communities most affected and to learn more about Indigenous peoples' perceptions of and knowledge about vaccines, both generally and Hia specifically.
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- Serotype a (Hia) is becoming a significant cause of serious infections in young Indigenous children in the North American Arctic and Sub-Arctic areas.
- A study compared the presence of Hia in children with respiratory infections from high-incidence regions like Nunavut to low-incidence areas like Southern Ontario.
- The study found Hia was present in 3.0% of children in Nunavut versus 0.6% in Southern Ontario, indicating ongoing circulation of the bacteria in Northern communities which could potentially lead to more severe outbreaks.
Background: The effective elimination of encapsulated bacteria like type a (Hia) relies on immune mechanisms such as complement-mediated opsonophagocytosis by neutrophils in coordination with opsonization by anti-capsular antibodies. This study evaluated if Hia could activate the immune response through neutrophils and if these responses differed between encapsulated versus unencapsulated or invasive versus non-invasive strains.
Methods: HL-60-derived neutrophil-like cells (dHL-60), differentiated with 1.