None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
In this study, we will collect tonsil tissue that would normally be thrown away during tonsil removal surgery. We will use this tissue in the lab to study how certain pathogens, including strep A and Epstein-Barr virus, affect people differently based on their tonsil cells and immune structures. We hyopthesise that children may have different levels of vulnerability to these pathogens depending on the unique features of their tonsil cells and immune tissue.
Interventions
This is a study to collect tonsillar samples that would be otherwise routinely discarded during tonsillectomy surgery to establish a laboratory system to investigate individual susceptibility to tonsillar pathogens through the interactions of these pathogens with tonsil epithelium and lymphoid organoids.
Demographic information on patients will be collected preoperatively. Parents of patients will be asked to complete a questionnaire which will address common questions about the child’s health,
This is a study to collect tonsillar samples that would be otherwise routinely discarded during tonsillectomy surgery to establish a laboratory system to investigate individual susceptibility to tonsillar pathogens through the interactions of these pathogens with tonsil epithelium and lymphoid organoids. Demographic information on patients will be collected preoperatively. Parents of patients will be asked to complete a questionnaire which will address common questions about the child’s health, in particular their tonsilitis / sore throat history, respiratory symptoms and anaesthesia respiratory risk factors. This questionnaire will be administered by the research team member and will take no longer than 10 minutes. Participant saliva samples will be collected prior to the child being anaesthetised for surgery. If the child is unwilling or not cooperative this will be completed during surgery. Once anaesthetised, a pharyngeal swab and blood will be collected. Following the surgical removal of the tonsils, the surgeon will place them in sample pots with media for collection by study staff. Tonsillectomy surgery typically takes around 45 minutes, but varies widely depending on the surgeon and the clinical condition of the patient. Participants will not experience any changes to their surgical procedure as part of their participation in this study. Any incidence of respiratory adverse events intraoperatively or post-operatively will be recorded by the treating clinician. No patient follow up is done after the patient has left the post-anaesthetic care unit. Samples will be used to: 1. Establish an epithelial model of strep A infection 2. Establish a lymphoid organoid model of strep A infection 3. Compare tonsil lymphoid cell repetoires from individuals with different disease states 4. Analyse immunohistochemistry of tonsil tissues 5. Isolate strep A from pharyngeal tonsil swabs 6. Experimentally inhibit strep A attachement by salivary antibodies 7. Clone human antibody variable domains from participants with protective salivary antibodies 8. Identify intracellular strep A infections in participants with recurrent tonsillitis 9. Examine individual succeptibility to intracellular strep A infections 10. Compare peripheral blood mononuclear cell repertoires from individuals with different tonsillar disease states and correlate or compare to matching tonsil cell repertoires
Sponsors
The Kids Institute
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
0 to 16 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Aged from 0 to 16.99 years old. 2. Undergoing surgery for tonsillectomy (+/-adenoidectomy) and tonsillotomies. 3. Parent/legal guardian has given written informed consent, or where appropriate child assent.
Exclusion criteria
1. Insufficient English language such that informed consent is not possible. 2. Department for Child Protection and Family Services involvement in patient care.
Outcome results
None listed