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News & Events

As many as a quarter of Australian babies aren’t getting vaccinated on time, leaving them at risk of developing life-threatening illnesses such as whooping cough when they are most vulnerable.

News & Events

A dose of the whooping cough vaccine might reduce cases of childhood food allergies according to latest research by the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases based at The Kids Research Institute Australia.

News & Events

A global consortium of Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) researchers has launched a series of best practice surveillance protocols designed to unite international research efforts for a world-first Strep A vaccine.

News & Events

The major funder of the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases based at The Kids Research Institute Australia has been recognised as Australia’s most generous giver.

News & Events

One of Australia’s leading infectious disease experts, Associate Professor Asha Bowen, has been announced as a finalist for the country’s leading national science awards – the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.

News & Events

Australian researchers have uncovered a new form of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – undetectable using traditional laboratory testing methods – in a discovery set to challenge existing efforts to monitor and tackle one of the world’s greatest health threats.

News & Events

Up to 40,000 influenza cases could be prevented in Western Australia this winter if more primary school-aged children were vaccinated, researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia have found.

Research

Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity globally. This bacterium is responsible for a range of different infections and post-infectious sequelae. Summarising the current knowledge of Strep A transmission to humans will address gaps in the evidence and inform prevention and control strategies. The objective of this study is to evaluate the modes of transmission and attack rates of group A streptococcal infection in human populations.

Research

Over 5 days, 120 schoolchildren from two schools in the remote Kimberley region of Australia were screened for Strep A pharyngitis. Molecular point-of-care testing identified Strep A pharyngitis in 13/18 (72.2%) symptomatic children. The portability and feasibility of molecular point-of-care testing was highly practical for remote settings.

Research

Itraconazole remains a first-line antifungal agent for certain fungal infections in children, including allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and sporotrichosis, but poor attainment of therapeutic drug levels is frequently observed with available oral formulations. A formulation of 'SUper BioAvailability itraconazole' (SUBA-itraconazole; Lozanoc®) has been developed, with adult studies demonstrating rapid and reliable attainment of therapeutic levels, yet paediatric data are lacking.