Publications by authors named "S P Brouwer"
Group A (GAS) is a human-adapted pathogen responsible for a variety of diseases. The GAS M1 lineage has contributed significantly to the recently reported increases in scarlet fever and invasive infections. However, the basis for its evolutionary success is not yet fully understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(Group A , GAS) is a human-restricted pathogen that causes a wide range of diseases from pharyngitis and scarlet fever to more severe, invasive infections such as necrotising fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. There has been a global increase in both scarlet fever and invasive infections during the COVID-19 post-pandemic period. The aim of this study was the molecular characterisation of 17 invasive and non-invasive clinical non-1 GAS isolates from an Australian tertiary hospital collected between 2021 and 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground & Aims: Chronic hepatitis D (CHD) is the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis, with a high risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver-related mortality. Risk stratification is needed to guide HCC surveillance strategies and to prioritize treatment with antiviral agents.
Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort of anti-hepatitis D virus (HDV)-positive individuals managed at sites in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Purpose: Although there is increasing awareness that significant others' perceptions and behavior can affect health outcomes, the role of interpersonal processes between sick-listed workers and significant others in sick leave and return to work (RTW) has hardly been studied. This study aims to examine the associations between illness perceptions, RTW expectations, and behaviors of significant others (engagement, buffering and overprotection) with sick leave duration within dyads of sick-listed workers with chronic diseases and their significant others.
Methods: We used survey data linked with sick leave registry data of 90 dyads.
Article Synopsis
- The study highlights the emergence of the M1UK variant of Streptococcus pyogenes as a significant global health threat, differing from the original M1global genotype by 27 SNPs and showing increased virulence through speA superantigen expression.
- Researchers developed a rapid allele-specific real-time PCR assay to detect M1UK strains and used whole-genome sequencing on 51 clinical isolates to assess the distribution of various emm (sub)types, finding M1UK dominant among the invasive and non-invasive strains.
- The findings confirm the ongoing presence of M1UK strains in Queensland, Australia, and suggest that the assay can be effectively used for enhanced surveillance of this particular pathogen.