Role of viral and bacterial pathogens in causing pneumonia among Western Australian children: a case–control study protocol

Bhuiyan, Mejbah Uddin; Snelling, Thomas L; West, Rachel; Lang, Jurissa; Rahman, Tasmina; Borland, Meredith L; Thornton, Ruth; Kirkham, Lea-Ann; Sikazwe, Chisha; Martin, Andrew C; Richmond, Peter C; Smith, David W; Jaffe, Adam; Blyth, Christopher C

• This is the first case-control study in Australia to determine the aetiology and relative contribution of respiratory viruses and bacteria to childhood pneumonia during the post pneumococcal vaccination era. • The study design will estimate how much each respiratory pathogen attributes to childhood pneumonia at a population level after adjusting for demographic factors, pre-existing chronic medical conditions and the presence of other respiratory pathogens. • Prospective recruitment of frequency matched cases and controls in each age group will adjust the effect of age and pathogen seasonality in causing pneumonia in children. • Cases are defined as children with radiologically-confirmed pneumonia which reduces the inter-observer variability and increase the generalizability of the study data.