Search

A national prospective surveillance study of acute rheumatic fever in Australian children

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an important cause of heart disease in Indigenous people of northern and central Australia.

Progress toward a global Group A streptococcal vaccine

The desire for an effective vaccine arises from the large burden of disease caused by the bacterium, particularly rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.

Rheumatic heart disease in Indigenous children in northern Australia: Differences in prevalence and the challenges of screening

This study compared regional differences in the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in Indigenous Australian children, and describes the logistical and...

Severe adverse reactions to benzathine penicillin G in rheumatic heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Fear of severe adverse reaction (SAR) and reluctance of health care providers to administer intramuscular injections are major contributing factors to poor adherence of benzathine penicillin G (BPG) in the management of rheumatic heart disease (RHD). However, data on the risk of SARs following BPG injections for RHD are relatively limited and inconclusive. Our systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the incidence of SARs associated with BPG injections used for secondary prophylaxis of RHD. 

Acute Rheumatic Fever Diagnostic Network (ARC Network) clinical recruitment protocol

Rheumatic heart disease, a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries, results from acute rheumatic fever (ARF), for which no diagnostic test currently exists. The ARF Diagnosis Collaborative Network (ARC Network) was established to address this gap by recruiting a rigorously phenotyped, globally representative cohort of children and adolescents with ARF and controls to support biomarker discovery.

The value of molecular point-of-care testing for Group A Streptococcal pharyngitis in a remote, non-clinical Australian setting

Group A Streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis is an important precursor infection to severe complications including rheumatic fever and invasive GAS. Rapid molecular point of care testing (POCT) for GAS infection has advantages over traditional microbiological culture, especially in settings with limited or absent laboratory infrastructure and where GAS complications predominate.

Understanding group A streptococcal pharyngitis and skin infections as causes of rheumatic fever: Protocol for a prospective disease incidence study

This study will identify the incidence of true Group A Streptococcal pharyngitis and serological responses to Group A Streptococcal GAS skin infections

Community-based participatory action research on rheumatic heart disease in an Australian Aboriginal homeland: Evaluation of the ‘On track watch’ project

Based in 'both-way learning', the aim of this study was to co-design, implement and evaluate community-based participatory action research to achieve this vision

Low positive predictive value of International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes in relation to rheumatic heart disease: a challenge for global surveillance

We outline a series of research initiatives to improve identification of RHD in administrative data thereby contributing to monitoring the RHD burden globally

The case for global investment in rheumatic heart-disease control

The review built a case for extending simple and cost–effective measures to all countries. Had these recommendations been put into action, significant...