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Currently there are no diagnostic tests for ARF, and no treatments targeting immune responses to improve disease outcomes.
The prevalence of impetigo and pharyngitis - which are both superficial group A streptococcus (GAS) infections that precede acute rheumatic fever - is poorly defined. Guidelines recommend the early diagnosis of both infections to prevent ARF; however, screening to enable the concurrent detection of these infections in high-risk populations has rarely been performed.
ARC is a global network of collaborators committed to reducing the burden of RHD in our lifetime.
Strep A causes over 775 million infections each year world-wide, including over 615 million cases of tonsil infection (Strep throat).
Emerging evidence indicates that interactions between bacteria shape the nasopharyngeal microbiome and influence respiratory health. This Review uses the systematic scoping methodology to summarise 88 studies including observational and experimental studies, identifying key interactions between bacteria that colonise the human nasopharynx.
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.
Controlled human infection (CHI) models can provide insights into transmission of pathogens such as Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A). As part of the Controlled Human Infection with Penicillin for Streptococcus pyogenes (CHIPS) trial, we explored the potential for transmission among participants deliberately infected with the Strep A emm75 strain.
Among genes present in all group A streptococci (GAS), those encoding M-fibril and T-pilus proteins display the highest levels of sequence diversity, giving rise to the two primary serological typing schemes historically used to define strain. A new genotyping scheme for the pilin adhesin and backbone genes is developed and, when combined with emm typing, provides an account of the global GAS strain population.
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.