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Intramuscular (IM) injection of benzathine benzylpenicillin G (BPG) forms the cornerstone of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) secondary prophylaxis. BPG is available as either a low-cost powdered formulation or a costlier pre-filled suspension. Most of the global RHD burden lies in low- and middle-income countries, which rely on the powdered formulation.
The prevalence of impetigo and pharyngitis - which are both superficial group A streptococcus (GAS) infections that precede acute rheumatic fever - is poorly defined. Guidelines recommend the early diagnosis of both infections to prevent ARF; however, screening to enable the concurrent detection of these infections in high-risk populations has rarely been performed.
This article documents the establishment of community laundries in rural/remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities between 2000-2024, with the aim to support synergistic planning, implementation and evaluation.
To determine whether the screening age for atrial fibrillation (AF) should be lowered for Indigenous Australians with the goal of reducing risk of stroke and other health burdens.
Acute rheumatic fever is an immune-mediated condition triggered by Streptococcus pyogenes sore throat and possibly skin infection, with a substantial burden in resource-limited settings. Clinical decision rules (CDRs) are commonly used to guide antibiotic treatment of sore throat based on signs and symptoms, but their diagnostic accuracy varies by study and setting. This work aimed to assess the accuracy of multiple CDRs in Fiji to diagnose S. pyogenes sore throat.
Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM), sometimes referred to as chronic otitis media, is a chronic inflammation and often polymicrobial infection (involving more than one micro-organism) of the middle ear and mastoid cavity, characterised by ear discharge (otorrhoea) through a perforated tympanic membrane.
Although benzylpenicillin (penicillin G) is listed by the World Health Organization as an Essential Medicine, dose optimization is a persistent challenge, especially for long-acting intramuscular formulations. Maintaining sustained antibiotic exposure at target concentrations is crucial for secondary chemoprophylaxis of rheumatic heart disease and treatment of syphilis.
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).
Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM), sometimes referred to as chronic otitis media (COM), is a chronic inflammation and often polymicrobial infection of the middle ear and mastoid cavity, characterised by ear discharge (otorrhoea) through a perforated tympanic membrane. The predominant symptoms of CSOM are ear discharge and hearing loss. Systemic antibiotics are commonly used to treat people with CSOM. This is the first update to the review published in 2021, and is one of a suite of seven Cochrane reviews evaluating the effects of non-surgical interventions for CSOM.
This prospective cohort study, which recruited participants with definite ARF in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, profiled circulating immune molecules and cells to inform disease mechanisms and future druggable pathways.