The manufacturers of the spray from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and New York's Rockefeller University say that the yet unnamed spray is not tested on humans. However it was completely successful in preventing ear infections in mice exposed to pneumonia bacteria and the flu virus.
The results, which are published in Friday's issue of the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Pathogens, said that mice were exposed to a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumonia that is present in half of all children. After one week it was found that none of the mice that had received the experimental spray developed ear infections.
Hospital records show that nearly 80 percent of children in the United States develop at least one ear infection in early childhood, a condition known as acute otitis media, which often leads to temporary hearing loss in children.
Until now parents have used antibiotics to treat the infection, which did not prove to be a success. Researchers say that the kids should now be vaccinated against S. pneumonia, which will cut down the number of infections that occur from the bacteria, such as ear infections and pneumonia.
