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Tick bites and tick-related diseases are on the rise. Diagnostic tests that identify well-characterised tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) possess limited capacity to address the causation of symptoms associated with poorly characterised tick-related illnesses, such as debilitating symptom complexes attributed to ticks (DSCATT) in Australia. Identification of local signals in tick-bitten skin that can be detected systemically in blood would have both clinical (diagnostic or prognostic) and research (mechanistic insight) utility, as a blood sample is more readily obtainable than tissue biopsies.

This review aims to systematically identify contextual and mechanistic factors that contribute to the success or failure of implementing effective HCs in the prevention and early detection of chronic diseases among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian primary health care (PHC).

Vaccine policy and guideline recommendations require high quality evidence. A review of the evidence quality used to inform vaccine clinical practice guidelines could help guide researchers on how to improve the design of their clinical studies to produce evidence of greater value to decision-makers.

Here we describe the experiences of young people living with ARF participating in a Phase-II trial of SubCutaneous Injections of BPG.

Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for some pathogens in Australia are considerably higher in rural and remote compared to urban regions. The inaugural Hot North Antimicrobial Academy was a 9-month educational programme aimed to build workforce knowledge and capacity in antimicrobial use, audit, stewardship, surveillance and drug resistance in remote primary health care. 

Melioidosis, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, is a disease endemic in many tropical countries globally. Clinical presentation is highly variable, ranging from asymptomatic to fatal septicemia, and thus the outcome of infection can depend on the host immune responses. 

Dried blood spot (DBS) antibiotic assays can facilitate pharmacokinetic (PK) investigations in situations where venous blood sampling is logistically and/or ethically challenging. The aim of this study was to establish, validate and demonstrate the application of a DBS amoxicillin assay for PK studies in vulnerable populations.

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis and Streptococcus pyogenes share skin and throat niches with extensive genomic homology and horizontal gene transfer possibly underlying shared disease phenotypes.

Longevity and disease-free survival are influenced by a combination of genetics and lifestyle. Biological age (BioAge), a measure of aging based on composite biomarkers, may outperform chronological age in predicting health and longevity. This study investigated the relationship between genetic risks, lifestyle factors, and delta age (Δage), estimated as the difference between biological and chronological age.

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.