Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a multiorgan inflammatory disorder that results from the body's autoimmune response to pharyngitis or a skin infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A). Acute rheumatic fever mainly affects those in low- and middle-income nations, as well as in indigenous populations in wealthy nations, where initial Strep A infections may go undetected. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• September 2022

Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a human pathogen of global importance, classified into serotypes based on the type of capsular polysaccharide produced. Serotyping of pneumococci is essential for disease surveillance and vaccine impact measurement. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• August 2022

We assessed the utility of routine viral surveillance for cytomegalovirus, Epstein–Barr virus and human adenovirus in children <16 years, undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) at a single centre over a 10-year period. A total of 85 ASCT were performed in 65 patients. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• September 2022

Pre-existing pathogen-specific memory T cell responses can contribute to multiple adverse outcomes including autoimmunity and drug hypersensitivity. How the specificity of the T cell receptor (TCR) is subverted or seconded in many of these diseases remains unclear. Here, we apply abacavir hypersensitivity (AHS) as a model to address this question because the disease is linked to memory T cell responses and the HLA risk allele, HLA-B*57:01, and the initiating insult, abacavir, are known. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• February 2022

Protracted international conflict has seen escalating numbers of displaced and resettled Syrian and Iraqi refugees, raising concerns for their health and well-being. This paper describes the demographic and clinical profiles of recently resettled Syrian and Iraqi refugee children and adolescents across physical, psychosocial, developmental and educational domains using standardised multidisciplinary assessments. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• May 2022

Samantha Carlson SC BSc MPH PhD Senior Research Officer Samantha.carlson@telethonkids.org.au Senior Research Officer @samicarlson ORCID Dr Carlson is ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2024
• February 2024

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. RSV seasonality was disrupted by COVID-19-associated nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). We review RSV seasonality, molecular epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and community awareness to inform future prevention strategies.  ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• December 2023

Both vector and mRNA vaccines were an important part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and may be required in future outbreaks and pandemics. The aim of this study was to validate whether immunogenicity differs for adenoviral vectored (AdV) versus mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, and to investigate how anti-vector immunity and B cell dynamics modulate immunogenicity.  ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• October 2023

Asthma is among the commonest noncommunicable diseases of childhood and often occurs with other atopic comorbidities. A previous case-control study found evidence that compared to children who received acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines in early infancy, children who received one or more doses of whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccine had lower risk of developing IgE-mediated food allergy. We hypothesized that wP vaccination in early infancy might protect against atopic asthma in childhood.  ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• October 2023

Our team’s vision is to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in children and their families through comprehensive approaches to understanding the burden of disease, developing and optimising diagnosis and treatment strategies and evaluating and informing current and future prevention programs. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Early Environment
• Infection and Vaccines