Publications by authors named "Jessica E Agius"

Article Synopsis
  • - The Australian Pathogen Genomics Program (AusPathoGen) was launched in January 2021 as a national partnership aimed at enhancing public health through pathogen genomics surveillance.
  • - Successful implementation of this program relies on collaboration among academia, public health labs, and agencies, while prioritizing public health needs and building national genomics capacity.
  • - Key components for success include data integration tools like AusTrakka, standardized bioinformatics procedures, ethics agreements, and training for public health officials to effectively use genomic data.
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The emergence of resistance to antiviral drugs increasingly used to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections has been recognised as a significant threat to COVID-19 control. In addition, some SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern appear to be intrinsically resistant to several classes of these antiviral agents. Therefore, there is a critical need for rapid recognition of clinically relevant polymorphisms in SARS-CoV-2 genomes associated with significant reduction of drug activity in virus neutralisation experiments.

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Background: Low frequency intrahost single nucleotide variants (iSNVs) of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been increasingly recognised as predictive indicators of positive selection. Particularly as growing numbers of SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest (VOI) and concern (VOC) emerge. However, the dynamics of subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) expression and its impact on genomic diversity and infection outcome remain poorly understood.

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Co-infections with different variants of SARS-CoV-2 are a key precursor to recombination events that are likely to drive SARS-CoV-2 evolution. Rapid identification of such co-infections is required to determine their frequency in the community, particularly in populations at-risk of severe COVID-19, which have already been identified as incubators for punctuated evolutionary events. However, limited data and tools are currently available to detect and characterise the SARS-CoV-2 co-infections associated with recognised variants of concern.

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The disease caused by Enterococcus lacertideformus is multisystemic and ultimately fatal. Since its emergence, the bacterium has significantly impacted the captive breeding programs of the extinct in the wild Christmas Island Lister's gecko (Lepidodactylus listeri) and blue-tailed skink (Cryptoblepharus egeriae). The bacterium's pathogenicity, inability to grow in-vitro, and occurrence beyond the confines of Christmas Island necessitated the development of an experimental infection and treatment model.

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Article Synopsis
  • A whole genome analysis was completed on a newly identified species of enterococci associated with severe disease in endangered reptiles from Christmas Island, focusing on its genetic features and pathogenic traits.* -
  • The bacterium's genome is characterized by a circular chromosome comprising approximately 2.4 million base pairs, 2,321 genes, and specific elements related to antimicrobial resistance and virulence, suggesting limited exposure to modern antibiotics.* -
  • Unique genomic features indicative of potential biofilm formation and metabolic functions were discovered, revealing the likely evolutionary relationships of this pathogen to other enterococci, with implications for understanding its pathogenicity and resistance mechanisms.*
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The pharmacokinetics of enrofloxacin and its active metabolite ciprofloxacin were determined following oral administration in 21 Asian house geckos () at a dose of 10 mg/kg. Changes in enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin plasma concentrations were quantified at regular intervals over 72 h (1, 2, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h). Samples were analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the enrofloxacin pharmacokinetic data underwent a two-compartment analysis.

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Little is known about the diversity of adenoviruses in wild birds and how they have evolved and are maintained in complex ecosystems. In this study, 409 samples were collected from woodland birds caught for banding (droppings), birds submitted to a wildlife hospital (droppings and tissues), silver gulls (droppings or tissues), and feral pigeons (; oral, cloacal swabs, or tissues) from the Greater Sydney area in NSW, Australia. Additional samples were from native pigeons and doves (swabs) presented to the Healesville Sanctuary, VIC, Australia.

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Papillomaviruses cause persistent infections in skin and mucosal membranes and, in at least one species, are also be able to infect a tissue of mesenchymal origin. Infections may either be subclinical or induce proliferative lesions. Of the known papillomaviruses, the majority that have been characterized are from humans and other mammals.

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