Investigators: Anthony Bosco, Jonathan Carapetis, Tim Barnett
External collaborators: Anna Ralph (Menzies School of Health Research), Salvatore Albani (SHHQ)
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an autoimmune disease triggered by streptococcal infection. Currently there are no diagnostic tests for ARF, and no treatments targeting immune responses to improve disease outcomes. A test for ARF, and targeted treatments that reduce development of its complication, Rheumatic Heart Disease, would be highly valuable for Australian Indigenous peoples, and other affected populations.
Understanding ARF immunology has been elusive since the immune processes causing ARF are complex, and the technology to find a unique ‘diagnostic signature’ has not been previously available. In this study we will use new methods to comprehensively test immune responses in blood samples from people with ARF (diagnosed using the Jones Criteria) and healthy volunteers at Royal Darwin and Alice Springs Hospitals, to find any unique signature that reliably identifies ARF. This will provide the basis for a possible diagnostic test, and knowledge on what types of immune-modulating treatments should be trialed in ARF.