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Comparison of three methods for the recovery of skin pathogens from impetigo swabs collected in a remote community of Northern Territory, Australia

Immediate plating of impetigo swabs is the gold standard for bacterial recovery but is rarely feasible in remote regions.

Clinic attendances during the first 12 months of life for Aboriginal children in five remote communities of northern Australia

The median number of presentations per child in the first year of life was 21 with multiple reasons for presentation.

Screening for rheumatic heart disease: current approaches and controversies

In endemic areas, RHD has long been a target of screening programmes that, historically, have relied on cardiac auscultation.

Acute Rheumatic Fever and Chronic Rheumatic Disease

This chapter describes the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnostic criteria, and management principles of acute rheumatic fever.

Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 291 diseases and injuries in 21 regions, 1990-2010: A systematic analysis

Measuring disease and injury burden in populations requires a composite metric that captures both premature mortality and the prevalence and severity of...

Years lived with disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries 1990-2010: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

Non-fatal health outcomes from diseases and injuries are a crucial consideration in the promotion and monitoring of individual and population health.

Rachel Burgess

Senior Research Fellow in the Strep A Translation team

Surgery for rheumatic heart disease in the Northern Territory, Australia, 1997-2016: what have we gained?

Between 1964 and 1996, the 10-year survival of patients having valve replacement surgery for rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in the Northern Territory, Australia, was 68%. As medical care has evolved since then, this study aimed to determine whether there has been a corresponding improvement in survival.

Study protocol for controlled human infection for penicillin G against Streptococcus pyogenes: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised trial to determine the minimum concentration required to prevent experimental pharyngitis (the CHIPS trial)

Regular intramuscular benzathine penicillin G injections have been the cornerstone of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) secondary prophylaxis since the 1950s. As the pharmacological correlate of protection remains unknown, it is difficult to recommend changes to this established regimen. Determining the minimum effective penicillin exposure required to prevent Streptococcus pyogenes infection will accelerate development of new long-acting penicillins for RHD prevention as well as inform opportunities to improve existing regimens. The CHIPS trial will address this knowledge gap by directly testing protection afforded by different steady state plasma concentrations of penicillin in an established model of experimental human S. pyogenes pharyngitis.

Standardization of Epidemiological Surveillance of Acute Rheumatic Fever

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a multiorgan inflammatory disorder that results from the body's autoimmune response to pharyngitis or a skin infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A). Acute rheumatic fever mainly affects those in low- and middle-income nations, as well as in indigenous populations in wealthy nations, where initial Strep A infections may go undetected.