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Addressing normalization using culturally relevant approaches: An important adjunct to reducing the burden of impetigo and scabies

Impetigo, a bacterial infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes and S. aureus of the superficial dermis affects up to 162 million children at any one time. Three out of every five school-children in Samoa have active or recently healed impetigo, far higher than the global median impetigo prevalence surpassing previous estimates for the Oceania region.

Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology of an Emerging Panton-Valentine Leukocidin-Positive ST5 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clone in Northern Australia

Recently, we identified a Staphylococcus aureus sequence type 5 (ST5) clone in northern Australia with discrepant trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT) susceptibility results. We aimed to identify isolates of this clone using Vitek 2 SXT resistance as a proxy and to compare its epidemiology with those of other circulating S. aureus strains. We collated Vitek 2 susceptibility data for S. aureus isolates collected through our laboratory and conducted a prospective, case-control study comparing clinical, microbiological, epidemiological, and genomic data for subsets of isolates reported as SXT resistant (cases) and SXT susceptible (controls) by Vitek 2.

Missing Piece Study protocol: Prospective surveillance to determine the epidemiology of group A streptococcal pharyngitis and impetigo in remote Western Australia

Group A β-haemolytic Streptococcus (GAS), a Gram-positive bacterium, causes skin, mucosal and systemic infections. Repeated GAS infections can lead to autoimmune diseases acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia have the highest rates of ARF and RHD in the world.

Antibiotic treatment duration for bloodstream infections in critically ill children - A survey of pediatric infectious diseases and critical care clinicians for clinical equipoise

To describe antibiotic treatment durations that pediatric infectious diseases (ID) and critical care clinicians usually recommend for bloodstream infections in critically ill children.

Roadmap to incorporating group A Streptococcus molecular point-of-care testing for remote Australia: a key activity to eliminate rheumatic heart disease

Jonathan Asha Dylan Rosemary Janessa Jeffrey Carapetis AM Bowen Barth Wyber Pickering Cannon AM MBBS FRACP FAFPHM PhD FAHMS BA MBBS DCH FRACP PhD

Ancestral SARS-CoV-2, but not Omicron, replicates less efficiently in primary pediatric nasal epithelial cells

Children typically experience more mild symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) when compared to adults. There is a strong body of evidence that children are also less susceptible to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection with the ancestral viral isolate.

Population pharmacokinetic study of benzathine penicillin G administration in Indigenous children and young adults with rheumatic heart disease in the Northern Territory, Australia

Benzathine penicillin G is the cornerstone of secondary prophylaxis to prevent Streptococcus pyogenes infections, which precede acute rheumatic fever.

Real world impact of 13vPCV in preventing invasive pneumococcal pneumonia in Australian children: A national study

We aimed to assess the direct protective effect of 13 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (13vPCV) against invasive pneumococcal pneumonia (IPP; including pneumonia and empyema) in children using a nation-wide case-control study across 11 paediatric tertiary hospitals in Australia.

Host-dependent resistance of Group A Streptococcus to sulfamethoxazole mediated by a horizontally-acquired reduced folate transporter

Described antimicrobial resistance mechanisms enable bacteria to avoid the direct effects of antibiotics and can be monitored by in vitro susceptibility testing and genetic methods. Here we describe a mechanism of sulfamethoxazole resistance that requires a host metabolite for activity.

Urinary tract infections in children: building a causal model-based decision support tool for diagnosis with domain knowledge and prospective data

Diagnosing urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children in the emergency department (ED) is challenging due to the variable clinical presentations and difficulties in obtaining a urine sample free from contamination.