# PATHOGENESIS OF NONTYPABLE HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE

> **NIH NIH R01** · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO · 1990 · $184,249

## Abstract

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae is now established as an important human
pathogen. It is the second leading cause of middle ear infections in
children after the pneumococcus. Middle ear infection is an important
health problem for children. Recurrent ear infections are associated with
hearing loss, problems in speech and language development, and learning
disabilities. Nontypeable H. influenzae is an important pathogen in several
other settings as well, including sinusitis, lower respiratory tract
infections, and neonatal sepsis. In view of the importance of this organism
as a human pathogen, work proposed in this application will be directed
toward understanding the pathogenesis and epidemiology of infection with a
goal toward identifying potential vaccine antigens.

In this proposal, we plan to continue our studies on the outer membrane
proteins (OMPs) of nontypeable H. influenzae. The proposed studies will
approach two major areas. In the first part (Specific Aims 1 and 2) work
will focus on a common antigen among strains of the bacterium. This will
involve antigenic and molecular studies of protein P6, a 16,600 dalton OMP.
P6 is an important antigen in the human immune response to infection and
possesses many characteristics to indicate that it is a promising vaccine
candidate. Therefore, detailed antigenic and molecular studies of the P6
molecule are planned to understand its function as a potential virulence
factor and potential vaccine antigen.

The second major approach will focus on antigenic differences among strains
of nontypeable H. influenzae. This work will involve the P2 OMP, an
important surface antigen that is antigenically heterogeneous among
strains. The goals of this work are to characterize the molecular basis of
the antigenic differences and to raise monoclonal antibodies to
determinants on P2 for the purpose of developing a serotyping system. A
serotyping system for nontypeable H. influenzae will contribute importantly
to an understanding of the pathogenesis and epidemiology of infection by
this important human pathogen.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3128981
- **Project number:** 2R01AI019641-08
- **Recipient organization:** STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
- **SAM.gov UEI:** LMCJKRFW5R81
- **Principal Investigator:** Timothy F Murphy
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1990
- **Award amount:** $184,249
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1983-09-30 → 1995-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3128981

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3128981, PATHOGENESIS OF NONTYPABLE HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE (2R01AI019641-08). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3128981. Licensed CC0.

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