Search
Health service utilisation in this setting may be enhanced by improving general awareness of the significance of childhood skin infections
Impetigo is a contagious skin disease caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Without treatment, impetigo may be recurrent, develop into severe disease, or have serious, life-threatening sequelae. Standard treatment consists of topical or systemic antibiotic therapy (depending on severity), however, due to antibiotic resistance some therapies are increasingly ineffective.
Asha Bowen BA MBBS DCH FRACP PhD GAICD FAHMS OAM Head, Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Head, Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Areas of expertise: Skin
Scabies is an important predisposing factor of impetigo which can lead to serious bacterial complications. Ivermectin-based mass drug administration can substantially reduce scabies and impetigo prevalence in endemic settings, but the impact on serious bacterial complications is not known.
Combination antibiotic therapy with an antitoxin agent, such as clindamycin, is included in some guidelines for severe, toxin-mediated Staphylococcus aureus infections. The evidence to support this practice is currently limited to in vitro, animal and observational human case-series data, with no previous randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
In 2019, the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in partnership with the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services carried out an integrated mass drug administration (MDA) for the treatment of scabies and lymphatic filariasis in the Northern Division of Fiji. We conducted a retrospective micro-costing exercise focused on the cost of scabies control in order to inform budgeting and policy decision making in an endemic setting.
Scabies infection is associated with heightened total IgE immunoglobulin and IgE antibodies to scabies antigens, with both being extremely high for crusted scabies patients. The IgE antibodies cross-react with house dust mite allergens with high reactivity found to the minor allergen arginine kinase.
The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers have confirmed that skin infections in many Aboriginal children across northern Western Australia are going unrecognised.
Researchers have developed the first National Healthy Skin Guideline to address record rates of skin infections in Australia’s Indigenous communities.
The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers have launched the Hip Hop 2 SToP video featuring school kids participating in their SToP Trial project designed to see, treat and prevent skin infections in WA’s Kimberley region.