Research to focus on throat infection, heart disease link

A fatal heart infection caused by a common throat infection will be subject of a north Queensland research project.

Science researchers from James Cook University are investigating a bacteria that can trigger a throat infection that can lead to heart disease.

Group investigator Associate Professor Natkunam Ketheesan says the condition is very common in children in under-developed countries and he says it is not uncommon for children in Queensland to be admitted to hospital with the same condition.

He says a grant of $80,000 from the National Heart Foundation will help the research group develop a safe method of preventing the disease.

"We hope in two years we will be able to show that the immune cells that we are working on are the positive agent of the heart condition that we see in this animal model," he said.