The Shaikh Lab

The Shaikh Lab focuses host pathogen interaction during pediatric infections such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), acute sinusitis, acute otitis media, and COVID-19.

UTIs are a major cause of morbidity in the pediatric age group. We are currently examining immune response in children with UTI with the aims of identifying inflammatory markers that may be useful in the diagnosis of UTI or pyelonephritis.

The diagnosis of acute sinusitis using clinical criteria alone is difficult because no specific signs or symptoms can reliably differentiate children with bacterial infection of the sinuses from children with uncomplicated viral infections. Accordingly, we are studying whether markers on nasopharyngeal swabs obtained from children can help make this distinction.

Otitis media is the most frequently diagnosed infection in children requiring an antibiotic. We are currently investigating how the nasopharyngeal milieu influences outcomes of children with acute otitis media.

The prognosis of COVID-19 infection differs markedly according to age. We are investigating whether host immune response during the first week of infection is associated with prognosis.

We also have several ongoing projects examining the urobiome in healthy children.

Techniques used in our previous published studies include conventional microbiology, RNA sequencing, 16s microbiome analysis, and cytokine measurement.