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This study provides new knowledge on ARF characteristics and management and highlights international variation in diagnostic and management practice.
This scoping review explores existing clinical guidelines on administration of benzathine benzylpenicillin (Bicillin L-A, Pfizer Australia) in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. The objective is to understand existing delivery guidance to address variation in care and cultural safety considerations, to support messaging during periods of stockout and to inform planning for new administration techniques.
Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) causes a wide spectrum of diseases, ranging from pharyngitis and impetigo to severe invasive infections and immune-mediated conditions such as acute rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease and acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. Contemporary data on the global burden of Strep A diseases are lacking.
The in-vivo plasma concentration of penicillin needed to prevent Streptococcus pyogenes pharyngitis, recurrent acute rheumatic fever, and progressive rheumatic heart disease is not known. We used a human challenge model to assess the minimum penicillin concentration required to prevent streptococcal pharyngitis.
We explore the contemporary landscape of housing investments and initiatives seeking to improve health outcomes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, as well as the dearth of quality evidence and agreed approaches to evaluation.
This Phase-IIa trial evaluates the safety and pharmacokinetics of high-dose, 10 weekly subcutaneous injections of penicillin (SCIP) in young people with a history of acute rheumatic fever (ARF).
Household fabrics, such as clothes, bedding, and towels, are in close contact with the skin and are assumed to play a role in the transmission of skin pathogens/ectoparasites. International public health advice for managing skin conditions therefore usually includes recommendations to wash clothes and bedding. However, such advice is often general and inconsistent between sources.
Asymptomatic carriage of Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) may contribute to transmission, yet its role remains poorly understood and evidence on optimal detection methods is limited. While self-collected throat swabs are used in infectious disease surveillance, their value for identifying asymptomatic Strep A carriage in adults is uncertain. This pilot prospective cohort study, conducted at a Perth medical research institute between August and October 2024, assessed feasibility and acceptability of self-collection, with sensitivity as a secondary objective.
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is the acquired autoimmune heart valve damage resulting from untreated infection with the Streptococcus pyogenes bacterium, which affects people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage globally. This study measured RHD-associated major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and the increased risk associated with pregnancy among women diagnosed with RHD.
Heart valve disease (HVD) can cause morbidity and impairment of quality of life (QOL) both before and after intervention. However, descriptions of the QOL of people with HVD across the disease course are limited. We aimed to collect the experience of people living with HVD through qualitative interviews, focusing on how HVD impacts their self-perceived QOL.