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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 from Auckland Hospital, New Zealand, to find any unique signature that reliably identifies ARF.
STopping Acute Rheumatic Fever Infections to Strengthen Health (STARFISH) brings together a diverse and multidisciplinary research team to investigate the most effective environmental health initiatives (EHIs) aimed at reducing Strep A infections and prevent Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF).
The Strep A Burden of Disease Working Group (BoDWG) was first established in 2020 through the Strep A Global Vaccine Consortium (SAVAC).
Outputs from the Strep A Burden of Disease Working Group
The END RHD CRE will undertake a number of projects across several disciplines of research including epidemiology, biomedical sciences; implementation and translation; and understanding the RHD community with a special focus on documenting the experiences of those living with the disease.
This work will be undertaken in collaboration with The Kids Research Institute Australia and Australian based research teams to better understand how Penicillin works in Māori and Pacific children/teens who receive monthly BPG injections.
Goal: Characterize the pattern of contemporary and endemic ARF and develop a biological signature to improve sensitivity and specificity of ARF diagnosis.
Since 1955, the recommended strategy for rheumatic heart disease secondary prophylaxis has been benzathine penicillin G injections administered intramuscularly every 4 weeks. Due to dosing frequency, pain, and programmatic challenges, adherence is suboptimal. It has previously been demonstrated that BPG delivered subcutaneously at a standard dose is safe and tolerable and has favorable pharmacokinetics, setting the scene for improved regimens with less frequent administration.
Surgical intervention is an important treatment modality for advanced rheumatic heart disease (RHD). This study aimed to describe patient characteristics and outcomes from cardiac surgery for RHD in patients referred to the only tertiary paediatric hospital in Western Australia.
Streptoccocal A (Strep A, GAS) infections in Australia are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality through both invasive (iGAS) and post-streptococcal (postGAS) diseases as well as preceding superficial (sGAS) skin and throat infection. The burden of iGAS and postGAS are addressed in some jurisdictions by mandatory notification systems; in contrast, the burden of preceding sGAS has no reporting structure, and is less well defined.