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Research
Estimating pneumococcal vaccine coverage among Australian Indigenous children and children with medically at-risk conditions using record linkageRisk-based recommendations are common for pneumococcal vaccines but little is known about their uptake. In Australia, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) was funded only for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) children and those with underlying medical conditions in 2001, and then there were different booster dose recommendations depending on risk after the introduction of universal PCV vaccination in 2005.
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Recognition and Management of Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis in Australian Aboriginal Children: A Knowledge Translation ApproachChronic wet cough in children is the hallmark symptom of protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) and if left untreated can lead to bronchiectasis, which is prevalent in Indigenous populations. Underrecognition of chronic wet cough by parents and clinicians and underdiagnosis of PBB by clinicians are known.
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Management and outcomes of children hospitalised with COVID-19 including incidental and nosocomial infections in Australia 2020–2023: A national surveillance studyManagement and outcomes of children hospitalised with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection may differ throughout the pandemic or with admission type (clinical COVID-19, incidental COVID-19 or nosocomial infection).
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From Local to Systemic: The Journey of Tick Bite Biomarkers in Australian PatientsTick 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.
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Serological Responses to Streptococcus pyogenes Vaccine Candidate Antigens Suggests That Streptococcus dysgalactiae Is the Predominant Cause of Lower Limb CellulitisA future Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) vaccine will ideally prevent a significant burden of lower limb cellulitis; however, natural immune responses to proposed vaccine antigens following an episode of cellulitis remain uncharacterized.
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Bringing optimised COVID-19 vaccine schedules to immunocompromised populations (BOOST-IC): study protocol for an adaptive randomised controlled clinical trialImmunocompromised hosts experience more breakthrough infections and worse clinical outcomes following infection with COVID-19 than immunocompetent people. Prophylactic monoclonal antibody therapies can be challenging to access, and escape variants emerge rapidly. Immunity conferred through vaccination remains a central prevention strategy for COVID-19.
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The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in Australian children: A crosssectional studyFollowing reduction of public health and social measures concurrent with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron emergence in late 2021 in Australia, COVID-19 case notification rates rose rapidly. As rates of direct viral testing and reporting dropped, true infection rates were most likely to be underestimated.
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DNA Methylation signatures underpinning blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio during first week of human lifeUnderstanding of newborn immune ontogeny in the first week of life will enable age-appropriate strategies for safeguarding vulnerable newborns against infectious diseases. Here we conducted an observational study exploring the immunological profile of infants longitudinally throughout their first week of life.
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Antecedent and persistent symptoms in COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses: Insights from prospectively collected data in the BRACE trialSome individuals have a persistence of symptoms following both COVID-19 (post-acute COVID-19 syndrome; PACS) and other viral infections. This study used prospectively collected data from an international trial to compare symptoms following COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 respiratory illness, to identify factors associated with the risk of PACS, and to explore symptom patterns before and after COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 respiratory illnesses.
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Rationale for use for monoclonal antibody and anti-cytokine therapy for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children: A systematic reviewObjective: To review systematically the rationale for choice and use of monoclonal antibody and anti-cytokine therapy in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.