Background: COVID-19 has affected many healthcare workers (HCWs) globally. We performed state-wide SARS-CoV-2 genomic epidemiological investigations to identify HCW transmission dynamics and provide recommendations to optimise healthcare system preparedness for future outbreaks.
Methods: Genome sequencing was attempted on all COVID-19 cases in Victoria, Australia.
J Clin Pharmacol
January 2021
Severe drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs) are often encountered by health care professionals (HCPs). We evaluated knowledge of doctors and pharmacists in the assessment and management of severe DHRs using a structured questionnaire. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 4 metropolitan hospital networks in Melbourne, Australia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Tigecycline is a third-line therapy for severe Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in Australasian guidelines. Differences in strain types make it difficult to extrapolate international tigecycline efficacy data with combination or monotherapy to Australian practice, where experience is limited.
Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects associated with tigecycline combination therapy for severe and severe-complicated CDI in an Australian healthcare setting.
Background: Buruli ulcer (BU), caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is increasing in incidence in Victoria, Australia. To improve understanding of disease transmission, we aimed to map the location of BU lesions on the human body.
Methods: Using notification data and clinical records review, we conducted a retrospective observational study of patients diagnosed with BU in Victoria from 1998-2015.
Background: Antimicrobial stewardship teams play an important role in assisting with the optimization of antimicrobial use in acute care settings. We aimed to determine whether a rapid review by a multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship team would improve the timeliness of optimal antimicrobial therapy for patients with positive blood cultures.
Methods: This prospective randomized controlled trial was undertaken in two Australian hospitals.
The Xpert MRSA/SA Blood Culture (BC) assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA) was prospectively compared to culture and found to have excellent specificity for both Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in BC specimens with a sensitivity of 75% (3/4) and 100% (17/17), respectively. Among 28 heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between reduced vancomycin and daptomycin susceptibility among Australasian vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) and heterogeneous-VISA (hVISA) isolates from patients never exposed to daptomycin.
Methods: Forty-seven stored clinical isolates of hVISA/VISA collected before November 2008 from around Australia and New Zealand were selected. Daptomycin and vancomycin MIC testing was performed using broth microdilution (BMD) and Etest methods.
The N-terminal one-third of the NS3 protein of Dengue virus type 2 (DEN-2) complexes with co-factor NS2B to form an active serine proteinase which cleaves the viral polyprotein. To identify sites within NS3 that may interact with NS2B, seven regions within the NS3 proteinase outside the conserved flavivirus enzyme motifs were mutated by alanine replacement. Five sites contained clusters of charged residues and were hydrophilic.
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