Publications by authors named "Kylie Alcorn"
Central Skull Base Osteomyelitis in Queensland, Australia, 2010-2020.
Open Forum Infect Dis
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- - Central skull base osteomyelitis (CSBO) is a serious infection affecting the bones of the skull, primarily seen in older individuals, particularly males, with diabetes being a common risk factor.
- - A study in Queensland, Australia, covering 11 years found 22 cases, highlighting a high mortality rate of 31.8% and significant long-term health issues for nearly half of the patients.
- - The diagnosis primarily relied on superficial rather than deeper microbiological sampling, and there were limited surgical treatments, indicating a need for future research to improve diagnosis and management strategies for CSBO.
Antibiotic overprescribing is a global issue that significantly contributes to increased antimicrobial resistance. Strengthening antimicrobial prescribing practices should be considered a priority. The emergency department (ED) represents a setting where antibiotics are frequently prescribed, but the determinants that influence prescribing choices are complex and multifaceted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine the effect of covid-19 vaccination, given before and after acute infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, or after a diagnosis of long covid, on the rates and symptoms of long covid.
Design: Systematic review.
Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane covid-19 trials, and Europe PubMed Central (Europe PMC) for preprints, from 1 January 2020 to 3 August 2022.
Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) complicates up to a quarter of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) cases. Risk scores predict IE complicating SAB but have undergone limited external validation, especially in community-acquired infections and those who use IV drugs. Addition of the time to positive culture (TTP) may provide incremental risk prognostication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Clinical characteristics and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have been varied internationally but have not been studied in an Australian cohort.
Aim: To describe characteristics and outcomes of approximately the first 200 documented COVID-19 cases during the first outbreak in the Gold Coast.
Methods: Retrospective observational cohort study of COVID-19 patients managed by Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service (GCHHS).
Background: On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization recognised clusters of pneumonia-like cases due to a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). COVID-19 became a pandemic 71 days later.
Aim: To report the clinical and epidemiological features, laboratory data and outcomes of the first group of 11 returned travellers with COVID-19 in Australia.
Background: Hemotropic mycoplasmas (hemoplasmas) infect animals and humans and can lead to clinical syndromes mainly characterized by hemolytic anemia. A novel pathogen, Candidatus Mycoplasma haemohominis, was recently associated with a case of human hemoplasmosis in Europe. Here we report the first detection of this pathogen in an Australian patient exhibiting persistent fever, hemolytic anemia, and pancytopenia over a 10-month period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in the Emergency Department.
J Antimicrob Chemother
February 2019
Background: Antibiotics are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the Emergency Department (ED) and yet data describing the overall appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in the ED is scarce.
Objectives: To describe the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in the ED.
Methods: A retrospective, observational study of current practice.
Naturally acquired immunity to malaria is robust and protective against all strains of the same species of This develops as a result of repeated natural infection, taking several years to develop. Evidence suggests that apoptosis of immune lymphocytes due to uncontrolled parasite growth contributes to the slow acquisition of immunity. To hasten and augment the development of natural immunity, we studied controlled infection immunization (CII) using low-dose exposure to different parasite species (, , or ) in two rodent systems (BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice) and in human volunteers, with drug therapy commencing at the time of initiation of infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A study analyzed healthcare-associated (HCA) gram-negative bloodstream infections (BSI) over an 11-year period to see if they peak in summer like other infections.
- Results showed that nonhospitalized patients experienced a rise in these infections during summer months, while climate-controlled hospitalized patients did not.
- The main source of infection was intravascular devices, and the study suggests at-risk patients should be cautious about high temperatures and understand behaviors that could increase infection risk.