Can Skin Infection With Group A Streptococcus Cause Acute Rheumatic Fever?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,450.00
Summary
It is traditionally taught that the cause of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is always infection of the throat with the bacterium group A streptococcus (GAS). However, in Aboriginal communities of the Top End of the Northern Territory the incidence of ARF is the highest reported in the world, yet GAS is uncommonly isolated from the throat. There is further information to suggest that GAS skin sores may underlie many cases of ARF. If this were proven, it would completely alter the traditional view of ....It is traditionally taught that the cause of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is always infection of the throat with the bacterium group A streptococcus (GAS). However, in Aboriginal communities of the Top End of the Northern Territory the incidence of ARF is the highest reported in the world, yet GAS is uncommonly isolated from the throat. There is further information to suggest that GAS skin sores may underlie many cases of ARF. If this were proven, it would completely alter the traditional view of the cause of ARF, and have important implications for prevention of ARF around the world. Presently, these approaches focus on diagnosing and treating sore throat, but no country has proven that such a program can be successful in substantially reducing new cases of ARF. If it was known that skin infection could lead to ARF, then countries (including Australia) could emphasise the importance of skin health programs. A further benefit of this knowledge would be to influence GAS vaccine development, which presently is largely focused on the prevention of sore throat. A different possibility has recently been raised - that the cause of ARF may not always be GAS, but instead that the related bacteria GCS and GGS may have the potential to cause this disease. Proof of this hypothesis would even more dramatically alter our understanding of disease causation, prevention, and vaccine development. We propose to determine the cause of ARF in Aboriginal communities by regularly swabbing families of people with a history of ARF, and using genetic fingerprinting of the bacteria from the skin and throat swabs. When cases of ARF occur, we will be able to determine the site and type of infection that precipitated the attack. We will conduct a related study in more communities, in which we will swab family members of people with ARF and of control families (without ARF) to determine the bacteria most commonly isolated from ARF families.Read moreRead less
This Centre of Research Excellence will translate the best available evidence to improve cancer outcomes through better management of infections in cancer patients, a rapidly growing group. We will establish new research networks to detect emerging multi resistant infections, develop guidelines on how to manage them, implement locally successful programs that have been shown to save lives nationally and validate new practice changing immune, bioinformatics and diagnostic technologies.
Monocytes On Patrol – Key Mediators Of Renal Injury In Glomerulonephritis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$772,888.00
Summary
The glomerulus is the filtering component of the kidney. In many diseases, it can be the target of an inappropriate inflammatory response. As part of this response, white blood cells accumulate in the glomerulus where they cause damage. In this project, we make use of special microscopes to examine the glomerulus during an inflammatory response, with the aim of understanding the actions of white blood cells present in glomeruli and how they cause inflammation and damage the glomerulus.
Linking Research, Policy And Health Services To Build A Better Evidence Base For Workplace
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,683,991.00
Summary
This application brings together four of Australia’s leading population and occupational health researchers to develop much needed national research capacity to reduce the burden of the largely hidden problem of occupational disease and to improve health and wellbeing in Australian workplaces. It is designed to develop a wide range of skills in a group of post-doctoral Team Investigators to improve the link between research, policy and practice. This program will address several of the National ....This application brings together four of Australia’s leading population and occupational health researchers to develop much needed national research capacity to reduce the burden of the largely hidden problem of occupational disease and to improve health and wellbeing in Australian workplaces. It is designed to develop a wide range of skills in a group of post-doctoral Team Investigators to improve the link between research, policy and practice. This program will address several of the National Health Priorities such as asthma, cancer, mental health and musculoskeletal disorders.Read moreRead less
A National Centre For Antimicrobial Stewardship: Using A One Health Approach
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,601,801.00
Summary
The emergence of antimicrobial resistance is a serious worldwide problem. The National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship will use a One Health approach to address antibiotic use in both humans and animals. We will focus on hospitals, aged care, and general practice. In animal health, we will investigate links between antibiotic use in animal production and resistant bacteria, and evaluate usage in companion animals. The aim is to promote appropriate antibiotic use in animal and human health.
Building The Evidence Base For Suicide Prevention: The Victorian Suicide Register
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$189,238.00
Summary
This partnership between the Coroners Court of Victoria, the Lifeline Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the University of Melbourne and Monash University will develop and evaluate a suicide register. The register will contain detailed information on those who die and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. This information is not systematically collected elsewhere, and will help prevent future suicides by informing coroners’ recommendations and strengthening the broader evidence base.
Optimising disease surveillance to support decision-making. COVID-19 has demonstrated the critical role of epidemic data and analytics in guiding government response to pandemic threats, reducing disease and saving lives. The demand for epidemic analytics for response to threats of national significance will only grow. The goals of this project are to 1) determine the combination(s) of surveillance methods that provide the most useful data for epidemic analysis and 2) translate these findings in ....Optimising disease surveillance to support decision-making. COVID-19 has demonstrated the critical role of epidemic data and analytics in guiding government response to pandemic threats, reducing disease and saving lives. The demand for epidemic analytics for response to threats of national significance will only grow. The goals of this project are to 1) determine the combination(s) of surveillance methods that provide the most useful data for epidemic analysis and 2) translate these findings into the blueprint for a next-generation infectious disease surveillance system for Australia. We will use a simulation-evaluation approach, coupling methods from infectious disease modelling with those from information theory optimal design. Outcomes will enable more tailored and effective pandemic response.Read moreRead less
We plan to collect health information from Australian patients with arthritis to monitor the benefits and safety of new treatments. All patients being treated with the new injectable biologic agents and other patients taking conventional drugs will be invited to take part in the follow up program. We will measure the impact of arthritis on quality of life and physical function and the long-term effects of all arthritis drugs. This will be of immense value to the Australian community as this data ....We plan to collect health information from Australian patients with arthritis to monitor the benefits and safety of new treatments. All patients being treated with the new injectable biologic agents and other patients taking conventional drugs will be invited to take part in the follow up program. We will measure the impact of arthritis on quality of life and physical function and the long-term effects of all arthritis drugs. This will be of immense value to the Australian community as this data are not routinely available from any other source. It will help rheumatologists and patients make the best decisions regarding long-term arthritis treatments.Read moreRead less
Optimising the Utility of Injury Surveillance Systems for Injury Prevention in Active Populations. Promotion of physical activity is a key national health priority and a major focus for the Australian Defence Force to achieve and maintain operational fitness. Unfortunately, these goals are associated with the negative effects of increased injury occurrence and substantial related costs. Civilian and military injury surveillance systems inform injury prevention priorities and interventions but re ....Optimising the Utility of Injury Surveillance Systems for Injury Prevention in Active Populations. Promotion of physical activity is a key national health priority and a major focus for the Australian Defence Force to achieve and maintain operational fitness. Unfortunately, these goals are associated with the negative effects of increased injury occurrence and substantial related costs. Civilian and military injury surveillance systems inform injury prevention priorities and interventions but research is required to maximise their performance and utility. The project aims to 1) determine the extent to which current systems meet user requirements 2) assess utility and reliability of these systems specifically for active populations and 3) develop recommendations for future systems development and improved user application.Read moreRead less