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Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in Australia commenced in February 2021. The first vaccines recommended for use were AZD1222 and BNT162b2, both delivered as a two-dose primary schedule. In the absence of sustained immunity following immunisation, recommendations for booster vaccination have followed. It is likely that periodic boosting will be necessary for at least some Australians, but it is unknown what the optimal booster vaccines and schedules are or for whom vaccination should be recommended.
PICOBOO is a randomised, adaptive trial evaluating the immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety of COVID-19 booster strategies. Here, we present data for second boosters among individuals aged 18-<50 and 50-<70 years old primed with BNT162b2 until Day (D) 84.
Skin infections affect physical health and, through stigma, social-emotional health. When untreated, they can cause life-threatening conditions. We aimed to assess the effect of a holistic, co-designed, region-wide skin control programme on the prevalence of impetigo.
Healthy skin is important for maintaining overall physical and cultural health and wellbeing. However, remote-living Australian Aboriginal children contend with disproportionally high rates of Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) infected impetigo.
Pulmonary exacerbations pose a significant clinical burden on people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). Whether management of exacerbations should change in the context of modulator therapy is unclear. We describe the characteristics, treatment and lung function outcomes of pulmonary exacerbations requiring intravenous antibiotic therapy (PERITs) in a contemporary Australian cohort of pwCF, in an era of rapidly broadening access to modulator therapy.
BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) is a common opportunistic infection in kidney transplant recipients, typically reactivating in the context of immunosuppression. Although asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, reactivation in transplant recipients can cause BKPyV-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN), a leading cause of graft dysfunction and loss. BKPyV viremia affects approximately 10%-15% of transplant recipients, and once BKPyVAN is established, the risk of graft failure can exceed 50%.
Clinical trial designs are typically narrowly focused on error control in hypothesis testing, but this approach is inadequate in many contexts, particularly when a decision maker intends to, or must, consider multiple relevant clinical and health economic outcomes under uncertainty. Value-of-information (VoI) metrics can be used to estimate the monetary value of data collection to the decision maker.
The in-vivo plasma concentration of penicillin needed to prevent Streptococcus pyogenes pharyngitis, recurrent acute rheumatic fever, and progressive rheumatic heart disease is not known. We used a human challenge model to assess the minimum penicillin concentration required to prevent streptococcal pharyngitis.
Evidence-based recommendations exist for early discharge (before 48 h) of young infants with fever without source (FWS) at low risk of serious bacterial infections (SBIs). However, concerns regarding the applicability of international data to local contexts may hinder implementation. We aimed to describe the local epidemiology of FWS and evaluate a newly implemented risk-stratification guideline to support practice change.
This study presents an optimised cultured ELISpot protocol for detecting central memory T-cell interferon gamma (IFNγ) responses against SARS-CoV-2 peptides following an initial priming with either peptides, or whole spike protein.