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Time to address the neglected burden of group A Streptococcus

Jonathan Jeffrey Carapetis AM Cannon AM MBBS FRACP FAFPHM PhD FAHMS BSc(Hons) BBus PhD Executive Director; Co-Head, Strep A Translation; Co-Founder

An update on the burden of group A streptococcal diseases in Australia and vaccine development

Asha Jeffrey Bowen Cannon BA MBBS DCH FRACP PhD GAICD FAHMS OAM BSc(Hons) BBus PhD Head, Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Health Economist

Increasing incidence of invasive group A streptococcal disease in Western Australia, particularly among Indigenous people

The incidence of invasive GAS disease in WA increased between 2000 and 2018, particularly among Indigenous Australians. Mandatory notification of invasive GAS disease would therefore be appropriate. The social determinants of differences in incidence should be addressed, and other relevant host, pathogen, and health system factors investigated.

Formative evaluation of a community-based approach to reduce the incidence of Strep A infections and acute rheumatic fever

We explore the acceptability of a novel, outreached-based approach to improve primary and primordial prevention of Strep A skin sores, sore throats and acute rheumatic fever in remote Aboriginal communities. A comprehensive prevention program delivered by trained Aboriginal Community Workers was evaluated using approximately fortnightly household surveys about health and housing and clinical records.

Revisiting the inoculum effect for Streptococcus pyogenes with a hollow fibre infection model

Severe, invasive Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) infections result in greater than 500,000 deaths annually. First line treatment for such infections is benzylpenicillin, often with the addition of clindamycin, but treatment failure can occur with this regimen. This failure has been partially attributed to the inoculum effect, which presents as reduced antibiotic susceptibility during high bacterial density and plateau-phase growth.

The incidence of sore throat and group A streptococcal pharyngitis in children at high risk of developing acute rheumatic fever: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis has traditionally been considered the sole precursor of acute rheumatic fever (ARF). Evidence from Australia, however, suggests that GAS skin infections may contribute to the pathogenesis of ARF.

Urgent action needed to stop 500 preventable deaths

A new report predicts rheumatic heart disease (RHD) will lead to over 500 preventable deaths and cost the Australian health system $317 million by 2031 if no further action to tackle the disease is taken.

Deborah Lehmann Research Award Opportunity

The Deborah Lehmann Research Award in Paediatric Infectious Disease Research is a funding mechanism to support the training and development of early- to mid-career researchers (EMCR) or Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students who are nationals from the Pacific Region working in or outside their hom