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The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration approved the use of nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody for the prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), in November 2023. Western Australia (WA) implemented a combination of nirsevimab administration strategies designed to protect all infants starting in April 2024, before the epidemic season. We developed a dynamic transmission model to predict the impact of WA's RSV immunisation program on infant hospitalisations.
Christopher Blyth MBBS (Hons) DCH FRACP FRCPA PhD Centre Head, Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases; Co-Head, Infectious Diseases
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant cause of respiratory infections in young children. Since 2021, RSV has been a notifiable disease in Australia. However, current surveillance systems focus on hospitalised RSV, with limited surveillance at a community level through primary care clinics. This approach only captures RSV requiring hospitalisation. Less severe illnesses, while not captured, may have significant social and economic impacts including the associated cost of care and absenteeism. The aim of this study is to establish an understanding of the broader burden of RSV in young children in a community setting.
Congratulations to three outstanding The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers who have received second chance WA health funding designed to support researchers who have narrowly missed out on highly competitive national funding.
Almost one in five children across four remote Kimberley communities has some form of chronic lung disease, according to a new study co-designed and conducted in partnership with Aboriginal communities.
Climatic conditions play a key role in the transmission and pathophysiology of respiratory tract infections, either directly or indirectly. However, their impact on the COVID-19 pandemic propagation is yet to be studied.
Burkholderia cepacia complex causes life-threatening respiratory infections. Here, a bacteriophage with activity against B. cenocepacia was isolated from wastewater. It has a genome size of 70,144 bp and has the taxonomic classification Irusalimvirus. It has no genes associated with lysogeny, bacterial resistance, or virulence.
Early-life immune development is a critical factor in predicting the risk of childhood respiratory infections, asthma, and poor vaccine responses. Identifying immune endotypes that predispose children to these conditions could lead to the development of predictive biomarkers and early interventions, potentially improving long-term health outcomes.
Licensed recombinant protein respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines can prevent substantial morbidity in older adults. However, revaccination to prevent waning protection may be suboptimal, prompting the exploration of candidates for heterologous boosting. In this clinical trial of RSV vaccine-naive older adults, we evaluated SCB-1019T, a novel unadjuvanted bivalent RSV prefusion F (preF) protein vaccine stabilized via Trimer-Tag technology, in comparison to the licensed AS01E-adjuvanted RSV vaccine Arexvy.
The nasal epithelium is the primary point of contact for inhaled respiratory viruses such as rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and coronavirus, among others. In order to establish infection, these viruses must engage their respective receptors located on host epithelial cells and begin replication.