Reports and Findings
Research
Utility of auscultatory screening for detecting rheumatic heart disease in high-risk children in Australia's Northern TerritorySensitivity and positive predictive value of cardiac auscultation compared with echocardiography is poor, regardless of the expertise of the auscultator.
Research
Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease: Incidence and progression in the Northern Territory of Australia 1997 to 2010The reduction in ARF recurrence indicates that the RHD control program has improved secondary prophylaxis; a decline in RHD incidence is expected to follow.
Research
Position statement of the World Heart Federation on the prevention and control of rheumatic heart diseaseIn the 21st century, rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are neglected diseases of marginalized communities.
Research
Updated model of group A Streptococcus M proteins based on a comprehensive worldwide studyGroup A Streptococcus (GAS) M protein is an important virulence factor and potential vaccine antigen, and constitutes the basis for strain typing (emm-typing).
Research
Group A streptococcal vaccines: Paving a path for accelerated developmentVaccine prevention of GAS infections and their immunological complications has been a goal of researchers for decades.
Research
Comparison of three methods for the recovery of skin pathogens from impetigo swabs collected in a remote community of Northern Territory, AustraliaImmediate plating of impetigo swabs is the gold standard for bacterial recovery but is rarely feasible in remote regions.
Research
Clinic attendances during the first 12 months of life for Aboriginal children in five remote communities of northern AustraliaThe median number of presentations per child in the first year of life was 21 with multiple reasons for presentation.
Research
Progress toward a global Group A streptococcal vaccineThe desire for an effective vaccine arises from the large burden of disease caused by the bacterium, particularly rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.
Research
Screening for rheumatic heart disease: current approaches and controversiesIn endemic areas, RHD has long been a target of screening programmes that, historically, have relied on cardiac auscultation.
Research
A national prospective surveillance study of acute rheumatic fever in Australian childrenAcute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an important cause of heart disease in Indigenous people of northern and central Australia.