PICNIC update

The Pediatric Investigators Collaborative Network on Infections in Canada (PICNIC), a collegial group of more than 40 Canadian physicians with an interest in infectious diseases that affect children, is entering its 11th year with seven multicentre studies that are either ongoing or in the planning stages. The network is also exploring closer collaboration with American colleagues in the field of paediatric infectious diseases, improving the accessibility of its Internet web site and preparing for changes to national research funding that took place with the establishment of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. PICNIC began its collaboration with multicentre studies into the natural history of respiratory syncytial virus. Current research endeavours include the following: an observational study of the natural history of aseptic meningitis and variation in management of children with the infection; a prospective cohort study of neonatal fungal infections; studies of the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy in the prevention of pertussis in families, varicella vaccine and prophylaxis against Epstein Barr virus in transplant candidates; and the establishment of a disease registry for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease. In 1999, the network published papers on group B streptococcal infection in neonates (1), respiratory syncytial virus in children with underlying lung disease (2), and a description of how the network functions (3). PICNIC's 1999 annual general meeting was held in September in San Francisco at the time of the Inter-science Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. The keynote speaker, Marianne Vanderwal, stimulated a lively discussion with a presentation on “Pharmaceutical industry expectations and good clinical practices”. Vanderwal, who is Associate Director of Quality Standards at Pfizer Canada, Inc, reviewed recent changes to standards for clinical research undertaken by the International Council on Harmonization, and discussed efforts by the Medical Research Council of Canada to bring the Tri-Council Policy Statement “Ethical conduct for research involving humans” into conformity with the standards of the International Council. The world is clearly becoming a global research village, with international standards that affect Canadian researchers and patients. PICNIC is riding the wave of the telecommunications revolution, and now conducts almost all of its communication between members and the executive via electronic mail. In 1999, a member survey about the empirical management of children with suspected bacterial meningitis was completed using electronic mail. The surprising lack of consensus from across the country concerning management of the disease was presented at the Canadian Paediatric Society's annual general meeting held in Ottawa in June 2000 (4). The PICNIC web site , with links to the Canadian Paediatric Society and the Canadian Infectious Disease Society, lists members, the network's terms of reference, its mission statement and publications. The web site also serves as a vehicle to disseminate information about the network to nonPICNIC members. The federal government initiated sweeping changes to the structure of national research funding in Canada in its 1999 budget. Research funding will be significantly increased, and projects that involve collaboration across disciplines, between geographical locations and from the laboratory bench to the patient's bedside are encouraged. Funding will be channelled through a series of ‘virtual’ institutes that will be organized under an umbrella organization called the Canadian Institutes for Health Research , which replaces the Medical Research Council of Canada. PICNIC participated in a widespread consultative process that took place across the country to help determine the new institutes. PICNIC has participated in the activities leading to the development of institutes for infection and immunity and child health. It is hoped that PICNIC members will collaborate with the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society , which meets at the annual Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) meeting. Towards that end, PICNIC's first initiatives may be to present a joint symposium with the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society at a future meeting of IDSA and to hold PICNIC's annual meeting in association with the IDSA meetings. PICNIC welcomes ideas for research proposals from individuals or other collaborative networks that aim to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases that affect children. For more information please visit PICNIC's web site or contact the executive through Joanne.Langley@dal.ca.

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