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The majority of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter referred to as “Aboriginal”) people live in urban centres. Otitis media (OM) occurs at a younger age, prevalence is higher and hearing loss and other serious complications are more common in Aboriginal than non-Aboriginal children. Despite this, data on the burden of OM and hearing loss in urban Aboriginal children are limited.
Prevalence of impetigo (skin sores) remains high in remote Australian Aboriginal communities, Fiji, and other areas of socio-economic disadvantage. Skin sore infections, driven primarily in these settings by Group A Streptococcus (GAS) contribute substantially to the disease burden in these areas. Despite this, estimates for the force of infection, infectious period and basic reproductive ratio-all necessary for the construction of dynamic transmission models-have not been obtained.
BK polyomavirus infection in transplanted kidneys that leads to BK virus–associated nephropathy (BKVAN) is an important cause of allograft loss and has limited treatment options. Recent data suggest that BK viremia affects approximately 10% of people within the first 12 months following kidney transplantation. Among recipients with BKVAN, the overall risk of allograft loss is substantially increased, estimated to be 50% within 5 years of diagnosis.
A summary of the literature regarding the use of adjunctive protein synthesis inhibitors for toxin suppression in the setting of S. aureus infections is presented
Dr Janessa Pickering is a research microbiologist with expertise in the molecular diagnostics and host pathogen interactions of upper respiratory tract pathogens that cause disease in children.
Program Manager
Valuable support from the Raine Medical Research Foundation’s 2025 grant round will power four new research projects at The Kids Research Institute Australia.
Efforts to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal children have been accelerated thanks to almost $1 million in National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funds awarded to skin health researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia.
Six researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia have been awarded $8.9 million in prestigious Investigator Grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Projects to improve outcomes for leukaemia patients and reduce skin cancer rates in young Aboriginal people have received funding through Cancer Council WA.