Global epidemiology, seasonality and climatic drivers of the four human parainfluenza virus types.

Objectives: Human parainfluenza viruses (hPIV) are a common cause of acute respiratory infections, especially in children under five years and the elderly. hPIV can be subclassified as types 1-4: these showed various seasonality patterns worldwide, and it is unclear how climatic factors might consistently explain their global epidemiology.

Methods: This study collected time-series incidence data from the literature and hPIV surveillance programs worldwide (47 locations).

Comparing Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing of Nasopharyngeal Swab and Lower Respiratory Tract Specimens for the Diagnosis of Pneumonia.

Using nasopharyngeal (NP) swab samples instead of lower respiratory tract specimens for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to diagnose pneumonia (PJP) may be better tolerated and improve diagnostic accessibility. In this 2-year Australian retrospective cohort study of patients with clinically suspected PJP, PCR on NP swab samples had perfect specificity but low sensitivity (0.66).

Predominant Bacterial and Viral Otopathogens Identified Within the Respiratory Tract and Middle Ear of Urban Australian Children Experiencing Otitis Media Are Diversely Distributed.

Background: Otitis media (OM) is one of the most common infections in young children, arising from bacterial and/or viral infection of the middle ear. Globally, and non-typeable (NTHi) are the predominant bacterial otopathogens. Importantly, common upper respiratory viruses are increasingly recognized contributors to the polymicrobial pathogenesis of OM.

Potentially Pathogenic Organisms in Stools and Their Association With Acute Diarrheal Illness in Children Aged <2 Years.

Background: Acute diarrheal illness (ADI) causes a substantial disease burden in high-income countries. We investigated associations between potentially pathogenic organisms in stools and ADI by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in Australian children aged <2 years.

Methods: Children in a community-based birth cohort had gastrointestinal symptoms recorded daily and stool samples collected weekly until their second birthday.

High coverage of diverse invasive meningococcal serogroup B strains by the 4-component vaccine 4CMenB in Australia, 2007-2011: Concordant predictions between MATS and genetic MATS.

Meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) accounts for an important proportion of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). The 4-component vaccine against MenB (4CMenB) is composed of factor H binding protein (fHbp), neisserial heparin-binding antigen (NHBA), adhesin A (NadA), and outer membrane vesicles of the New Zealand strain with Porin 1.4.