Obstetric and Neonatal Invasive Meningococcal Disease Caused by Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup W, Western Australia, Australia.

Three mother-baby pairs with invasive meningococcal disease occurred over 7 months in Western Australia, Australia, at a time when serogroup W sequence type 11 clonal complex was the predominant local strain. One mother and 2 neonates died, highlighting the role of this strain as a cause of obstetric and early neonatal death.

Sequencing of the Viral UL111a Gene Directly from Clinical Specimens Reveals Variants of HCMV-Encoded IL-10 That Are Associated with Altered Immune Responses to HCMV.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a beta-herpesvirus carried by ~80% of adults worldwide. Acute infections are often asymptomatic in healthy individuals but generate diverse syndromes in neonates, renal transplant recipients (RTR), and people with HIV (PWH). The HCMV gene UL111a encodes a homolog of human interleukin-10 (IL-10) that interacts with the human IL-10 receptor.

Probiotic supplementation for neonates with congenital gastrointestinal surgical conditions: guidelines for future research.

Our pilot RCT found that probiotic supplementation with the three-strain bifidobacterial product (B. breve M-16V, B. longum subsp.

Probiotic sepsis in preterm neonates-a systematic review.

Unlabelled: Sepsis due to the administered probiotic strain/s is a barrier against adoption of prophylactic probiotic supplementation in preterm infants to reduce the risk of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC ≥ Stage II), all-cause mortality, late-onset sepsis, and feeding intolerance. We aimed to conduct a systematic review for reports of probiotic sepsis in preterm infants (gestation < 37 weeks). Databases including PubMed, Embase, Emcare, Cochrane Central library, and Google Scholar were searched in August 2021 and updated in Jan 2022.

Probiotic supplementation in neonates with congenital gastrointestinal surgical conditions: a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate whether probiotic supplementation attenuates gut-dysbiosis in neonates with congenital gastrointestinal surgical conditions (CGISC).

Methods: Sixty-one neonates (≥35 weeks gestation) with CGISC were randomised to receive daily supplementation with a triple-strain bifidobacterial probiotic (n = 30) or placebo (n = 31) until discharge. Stool microbiota was analysed using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing on samples collected before (T1), 1 week (T2), and 2 weeks (T3) after supplementation and before discharge (T4).

Sequencing Directly from Clinical Specimens Reveals Genetic Variations in HCMV-Encoded Chemokine Receptor US28 That May Influence Antibody Levels and Interactions with Human Chemokines.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a beta-herpesvirus carried by ∼80% of the world's population. Acute infections are asymptomatic in healthy individuals but generate diverse syndromes in neonates, solid organ transplant recipients, and HIV-infected individuals. The HCMV gene US28 encodes a homolog of a human chemokine receptor that is able to bind several chemokines and HIV gp120.

The implementation of an infection control bundle within a Total Care Burns Unit.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of the implementation of a best practice infection prevention and control bundle on healthcare associated burn wound infections in a paediatric burns unit.

Background: Burn patients are vulnerable to infection. For this patient population, infection is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, thereby representing a significant challenge for burns clinicians who care for them.

RSV prophylaxis use in high-risk infants in Western Australia, 2002-2013: a record linkage cohort study.

Background: The monoclonal antibody, palivizumab is licensed for use in high-risk infants to prevent severe illness caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The level of its use and compliance with current jurisdictional guidelines which were amended in 2010, is unknown. We determined the level of palivizumab use in a cohort of high-risk infants in Western Australia.

Gut microbiota in neonates with congenital gastrointestinal surgical conditions: a prospective study.

Background: There is limited information on gut microbiota of neonates with congenital gastrointestinal surgical conditions (CGISCs) available.

Methods: This study compared stool microbiota and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) of 37 term infants with CGISCs with 36 term healthy infants (HIs). Two stool samples were collected from each infant: as soon as possible after birth (week 1) and 10-14 days of life (week 2).

Effectiveness of Palivizumab against Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Cohort and Case Series Analysis.

Objective: To measure the real-world effectiveness of palivizumab immunoprophylaxis against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-confirmed infection before age 2 years in a population-cohort of high-risk infants.

Study Design: Palivizumab is funded for high-risk infants in Western Australia. We used probabilistically linked administrative data encompassing RSV laboratory-confirmed infections, hospital admissions, and palivizumab dispensing records for a cohort of 24 329 high-risk infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units, born 2002-2013 with follow-up to 2015.

Changing Prevalence of Lower Airway Infections in Young Children with Cystic Fibrosis.

Historical studies suggest that airway infection in cystic fibrosis initiates with and , with later emergence of . species are regarded as relatively infrequent, late-occurring infections. To assess the prevalence and change in prevalence of early lower airway infections in a modern cohort of children with cystic fibrosis.

The impact of influenza infection on young children, their family and the health care system.

Background: Influenza is a major cause of respiratory illness in young children. Assessing the impact of infection on children and the community is required to guide immunisation policies.

Objectives: To describe the impact of laboratory-proven influenza in young children and to compare its impact with that of other respiratory viruses on the child, their family and the health care system.

Rhinovirus is the most common virus and rhinovirus-C is the most common species in paediatric intensive care respiratory admissions.

Respiratory virus infections account for a significant proportion of acute admissions to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Recent studies have shown that rhinoviruses (RV) are the most frequent virus detected in severe cases of acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) admitted to a PICU. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of different viruses, in particular RV species, in children with ARI admitted to a tertiary PICU.

Ventriculoperitoneal shunts in neonates: a retrospective study of outcomes with antibiotic-impregnated catheters and a modified peri-operative antibiotic protocol.

Background: CSF infection is a significant complication of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts and results in prolonged hospital stay, developmental delay and decreased quality of life. To decrease the high rates of neonatal VP shunt infections, an updated clinical guideline that included the use of antibiotic-impregnated shunts and a revised peri-operative antibiotic protocol was introduced in our neonatal unit. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of these new guidelines in reducing the CSF shunt infection rates.

Clonal Expansion of New Penicillin-Resistant Clade of Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup W Clonal Complex 11, Australia.

In Western Australia, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W clonal complex 11 became the predominant cause of invasive meningococcal disease in 2016. We used core-genome analysis to show emergence of a penicillin-resistant clade that had the penA_253 allele. This new penicillin-resistant clade might affect treatment regimens for this disease.

Australian Aboriginal Children with Otitis Media Have Reduced Antibody Titers to Specific Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Vaccine Antigens.

Indigenous populations experience high rates of otitis media (OM), with increased chronicity and severity, compared to those experienced by their nonindigenous counterparts. Data on immune responses to otopathogenic bacteria in these high-risk populations are lacking. Nontypeable (NTHi) is the predominant otopathogen in Australia.

Induced sputum to detect lung pathogens in young children with cystic fibrosis.

Introduction: Induced sputum sampling holds promise as a method for obtaining samples representative of the lower airways in young children. Collection of induced sputum samples in young children differs from older children and adults' as pharyngeal suctioning is often required. Our aim was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of induced sputum with and without airway clearance techniques to detect lower airway pathogens in children less than age 7 with cystic fibrosis.

Biofilm forming potential and antimicrobial susceptibility of newly emerged Western Australian Bordetella pertussis clinical isolates.

Whooping cough caused by Bordetella pertussis is increasing in several countries despite high vaccine coverage. One potential reason for the resurgence is the emergence of genetic variants of the bacterium. Biofilm formation has recently been associated with the pathogenesis of B.