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More than 3,000 skin checks have been undertaken as part of a large clinical trial in WA’s Kimberley region aimed at halving the burden of skin sores in school-aged Aboriginal children.
Research
A pilot study to develop assessment tools for Group A Streptococcus surveillance studiesGroup A Streptococcus (GAS) causes pharyngitis (sore throat) and impetigo (skin sores) GAS pharyngitis triggers rheumatic fever (RF) with epidemiological evidence supporting that GAS impetigo may also trigger RF in Australian Aboriginal children. Understanding the concurrent burden of these superficial GAS infections is critical to RF prevention. This pilot study aimed to trial tools for concurrent surveillance of sore throats and skins sore for contemporary studies of RF pathogenesis including development of a sore throat checklist for Aboriginal families and pharynx photography.
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Missing Piece Study protocol: Prospective surveillance to determine the epidemiology of group A streptococcal pharyngitis and impetigo in remote Western AustraliaGroup A β-haemolytic Streptococcus (GAS), a Gram-positive bacterium, causes skin, mucosal and systemic infections. Repeated GAS infections can lead to autoimmune diseases acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia have the highest rates of ARF and RHD in the world.
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Addressing normalization using culturally relevant approaches: An important adjunct to reducing the burden of impetigo and scabiesImpetigo, a bacterial infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes and S. aureus of the superficial dermis affects up to 162 million children at any one time. Three out of every five school-children in Samoa have active or recently healed impetigo, far higher than the global median impetigo prevalence surpassing previous estimates for the Oceania region.
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The microbiology of impetigo in Indigenous children: associations between Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, scabies, and nasal carriagePrevalence and antimicrobial resistance of impetigo pathogens in a randomised, controlled trial of impetigo treatment conducted in remote Indigenous communities
News & Events
The Kids Research Institute Australia researcher wins Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in SciencePaediatric infectious disease expert and clinician-scientist Associate Professor Asha Bowen has been named as the Emerging Leader in Science at the country’s most prestigious science awards – the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
News & Events
First week of school visits mark official launch of the SToP TrialThe The Kids Skin Health team has a busy six weeks ahead - visiting nine communities throughout the Kimberley region of WA as part of the first school surveillance activities for the SToP Trial.
News & Events
Program aims to stop skin infections in their tracksAn innovative program set to run for about two and a half years aims to halve the number of children affected by skin infections.
Research
Multi-methods process evaluation of the SToP (See, Treat, Prevent) trial: a cluster randomised, stepped wedge trial to support healthy skinHealthy 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.
Research
In vitro antibacterial activity of Western Australian honeys, and manuka honey, against bacteria implicated in impetigoImpetigo is a contagious skin disease caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Without treatment, impetigo may be recurrent, develop into severe disease, or have serious, life-threatening sequelae. Standard treatment consists of topical or systemic antibiotic therapy (depending on severity), however, due to antibiotic resistance some therapies are increasingly ineffective.