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Currently there are no diagnostic tests for ARF, and no treatments targeting immune responses to improve disease outcomes.

ARC is a global network of collaborators committed to reducing the burden of RHD in our lifetime.

A vaccine that prevents the initial attachment of Strep A to the tonsils would reduce the incidence of Strep throat and severe diseases that result.

Strep A causes over 775 million infections each year world-wide, including over 615 million cases of tonsil infection (Strep throat).

The skin is home to an array of bacteria, fungi and viruses, which together make up the skin microbiome. We explore how the skin microbiome can contribute to healthy skin.

Investigating what risk does underlying trimethoprim resistance pose for the development of cotrimoxazole-resistant skin infections.

Recent interest in the diverse ecosystem of bacteria, fungi and viruses that make up the skin microbiome has led to numerous studies investigating the skin microbiome in healthy skin and in dermatological conditions. However, skin microbiome analysis is challenging due to relatively low numbers of skin microorganisms compared to mucosal sites, such as the respiratory or gastrointestinal tracts. Microbiome results are heavily influenced by sampling methods.

Indigenous children in colonised nations experience high rates of health disparities linked to historical trauma resulting from displacement and dispossession, as well as ongoing systemic racism. Skin infections and their complications are one such health inequity, with the highest global burden described in remote-living Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (hereafter respectfully referred to as Aboriginal) children. Yet despite increasing urbanisation, little is known about the skin infection burden for urban-living Aboriginal children.

Coxiella burnetii is a Gram-negative intracellular pathogen that causes the debilitating disease Q fever, which affects both animals and humans. The only available human vaccine, Q-Vax, is effective but has a high risk of severe adverse reactions, limiting its use as a countermeasure to contain outbreaks. Therefore, it is essential to identify new drug targets to treat this infection.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) causes pharyngitis (sore throat) and impetigo (skin sores) GAS pharyngitis triggers rheumatic fever (RF) with epidemiological evidence supporting that GAS impetigo may also trigger RF in Australian Aboriginal children. Understanding the concurrent burden of these superficial GAS infections is critical to RF prevention. This pilot study aimed to trial tools for concurrent surveillance of sore throats and skins sore for contemporary studies of RF pathogenesis including development of a sore throat checklist for Aboriginal families and pharynx photography.