Study population
We used de-identified data sourced from three prospective studies
undertaken between June 2008 and September 201319-21.
For this study, we included only the 232 Indigenous infants living in
the Northern Territory (Australia). Here we briefly describe these
studies; two were randomised controlled trials (RCT) where we found
neither single or 3-weekly azithromycin (single or 3-weekly) doses,
compared to placebo, improved any clinical outcomes for infants
hospitalised with bronchiolitis19,20. The third was a
cohort study to determine the validity and reliability of a
bronchiolitis scoring system of infants hospitalised with
bronchiolitis21. An overview of the studies is further
described in the Figure. The local Human Research Ethics Committee
approved each original study (HREC 07/60, HREC-2010-1324) and written
informed consent obtained from the primary carer. In all
studies19-21, infants were aged ≤24-months
hospitalised with a diagnosis of bronchiolitis using a standardised
hospital protocol, with the same exclusion criteria (detailed in
E-text).