Respiratory Infections

We conduct epidemiological studies of infectious diseases caused by respiratory pathogens including novel coronaviruses (COVID-19), mainly in Japan and Nepal.

Members

Professor
Konosuke Morimoto
Associate Professor
Bhim Gopal Dhoubhadel
Visiting Professor
Eiichiro Sando
Research Fellow
Haruka Maeda
Assistant
Rina Shiramizu
Assistant
Rina Kubo
Assistant
Yumi Araki
Assistant
Fumiyo Tsujita

Activities

  • We conduct a clinical epidemiological study of adult pneumococcal pneumonia in Japan. The purpose of this study is to determine the serotype distribution of pneumococcal pneumonia and epidemiological characteristics of each serotype. We aim to recommend vaccine policies of pneumococcal vaccine for older people using these data. Using the latest serotype distribution obtained from the surveillance, we are analyzing cost-effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccines in the older people in collaboration with Yokohama City University and University of Tokyo.
  • A surveillance study of adult acute respiratory tract infections at seven hospitals in Japan is in progress. In this project, we aim to identify pathogens specific disease burden through comprehensive pathogen diagnosis using multiplex PCR and QoL surveys.
  • With regard to COVID-19, we performed outbreak investigation in nursing care facilities. We also investigate the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines on onset of disease, hospitalization, and sever illness by COVID-19 in Japan.
  • In Nepal, two projects on diagnostic method of pediatric pneumonia and on pneumococcal carriage among children have been conducted.

Recent main research achievement

  1. Maeda et al. Expert Rev Vaccines 2023;22(1):288-298.
  2. Maeda et al. Vaccine 2022;40(37):5504-5512.
  3. Dhoubhadel BG et al. Thorax 2022;77:1121-30.
  4. Maeda et al. Clin Infect Dis 2022;75(11):1971-1979.
  5. Dhoubhadel BG et al. Lancet Glob Health 2022;10(10):e1375-e1376.

Achievement list