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The prevalence of impetigo and pharyngitis - which are both superficial group A streptococcus (GAS) infections that precede acute rheumatic fever - is poorly defined. Guidelines recommend the early diagnosis of both infections to prevent ARF; however, screening to enable the concurrent detection of these infections in high-risk populations has rarely been performed.
Serosurveys are considered as a valuable tool in estimating population immunity and infection rates but recruitment of children to provide paediatric estimates can be challenging. A novel approach of sampling children undergoing anaesthesia was utilised for a SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey in Australian children and we explore the reasons for participation, feedback on the approach and importance of research into Coronavirus Diseases 2019 (COVID-19).
To investigate the follow-up and outcomes of HIV-exposed infants in a setting of low HIV prevalence. This was a multicenter, retrospective study of live-born infants of women known to be living with HIV, at 9 tertiary pediatric centers in Australia and New Zealand from 2009-2025. Antenatal, perinatal, and postnatal data, and outcomes at clinic visits to 18 months of age were collected, including co-morbidities, development, and HIV results.
Acute rheumatic fever is an immune-mediated condition triggered by Streptococcus pyogenes sore throat and possibly skin infection, with a substantial burden in resource-limited settings. Clinical decision rules (CDRs) are commonly used to guide antibiotic treatment of sore throat based on signs and symptoms, but their diagnostic accuracy varies by study and setting. This work aimed to assess the accuracy of multiple CDRs in Fiji to diagnose S. pyogenes sore throat.
Convalscent plasma (CP) was identified as a potential therapy for COVID-19 available early in the pandemic.
Dynamic molecular changes in early life follow a robust ontogeny as the infant immune system adapts to the demands of its new environment. Studies of plasma immunomodulatory cytokines and chemokines have previously demonstrated ontogenetic patterns of immune development across the first week of life. However, how plasma cytokine and chemokines concentrations evolve over the first 4 months of life remains unknown.
Children in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are at high risk of pneumococcal infections. We investigated pneumococcal carriage rates, serotype distribution, and antimicrobial susceptibility in PNG children after vaccination with 10-valent or 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV10; PCV13).
Respiratory syncytial virus contributes to significant global infant morbidity and mortality. We applied a previously developed statistical prediction model incorporating pre-pandemic RSV testing data and hospital admission data to estimate infant RSV-hospitalizations by birth month and prematurity, focused on infants aged <1 year.
At present, limited literature exists exploring patient preferences for prophylactic treatment of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Given low treatment completion rates to this treatment in Australia, where the burden of disease predominantly affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, an improved understanding of factors driving patient preference is required to improve outcomes.
New and emerging risks for invasive aspergillosis (IA) bring the need for contemporary analyses of the epidemiology and outcomes of IA, in order to improve clinical practice.