Scarlet Fever News and Research

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UQ-led research effort secures almost $8 million to develop an mRNA Strep A vaccine

A University of Queensland-led research effort to develop an mRNA vaccine against Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) has secured almost $8 million in philanthropic funding.

10 Feb 2023

Group A streptococcal infections increased in England in 2022

In a recent study published in the journal Eurosurveillance, researchers investigated the latest increase in cases of invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) infection among children in England below the age of 15 to understand the clinical presentations of iGAS as well as the incidence of co-infections with respiratory viruses.

9 Jan 2023

Recent surge in group A streptococcal infections among children in UK

In an editorial published in the journal New Microbes and New Infections, scientists have highlighted the possible reasons behind a sudden rise in cases of group A streptococcal infections among children in the United Kingdom and other European countries.

18 Dec 2022

Antibody discovery could explain why so many group A strep vaccines have failed

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered an antibody with the potential to protect against Strep A infection, as well as a rare form of antibody binding, that leads to an effective immune response against bacteria.

12 Dec 2022

Did COVID-19 mitigation measures in the United Kingdom impact the transmission of other infectious diseases?

Researchers explored the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-associated non-pharmaceutical prevention measures on the transmission of 22 infectious diseases in England.

25 Oct 2022

A nearly century-old maternity home for teens in the South makes plans for expansion

An old, brick house in Charleston's Wagener Terrace district stands out from its gentrified neighbors in several ways: It's 14,000 square feet, built to accommodate around 30 people, and was constructed 90 years ago to provide shelter for pregnant girls.

22 Jul 2022

Oral penicillin may be a safer option for people with high-risk rheumatic heart disease

A growing body of evidence indicates that some people thought to have an allergic response to injectable penicillin, the standard treatment for rheumatic heart disease, may instead be experiencing a cardiac reaction to the medicine, according to a new American Heart Association presidential advisory published today in Journal of the American Heart Association.

19 Jan 2022

Enzyme inhibitor boosts immune system to fight MRSA and other dangerous skin infections

In what turned out to be one of the most important accidents of all time, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming returned to his laboratory after a vacation in 1928 to find a clear zone surrounding a piece of mold that had infiltrated a petri dish full of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a common skin bacterium he was growing.

8 Jul 2021

New model could help test vaccines against the deadly Strep A bacteria

Researchers have successfully developed a new Strep A human challenge model, paving the way to test vaccines against the common deadly bacteria that causes sore throats, scarlet fever and skin sores.

10 May 2021

Supercharged "clones" trigger the re-emergence of scarlet fever

A University of Queensland-led team of international researchers says supercharged "clones" of the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes are to blame for the resurgence of the disease, which has caused high death rates for centuries.

6 Oct 2020

Medieval medicine to tackle antibiotic resistance

Biofilm-associated infections are notoriously difficult to treat, and they also play a role in antibiotic resistance as more antimicrobials are urgently needed to treat biofilm-associated infections. These biofilms act as protective layers that prevent the antibiotics from reaching and destroying the targeted bacteria.

29 Jul 2020

Medieval remedy can help treat modern day infections

Antibiotic resistance is an increasing battle for scientists to overcome, as more antimicrobials are urgently needed to treat biofilm-associated infections.

28 Jul 2020

Why doctors keep monitoring kids who recover from mysterious COVID-linked illness

Israel Shippy doesn’t remember much about having COVID-19 — or the unusual auto-immune disease it triggered — other than being groggy and uncomfortable for a bunch of days. He’s a 5-year-old, and would much rather talk about cartoons, or the ideas for inventions that constantly pop into his head.

16 Jul 2020

New clinical trial to assess safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma to prevent COVID-19

There is only one approved, specific treatment for COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, albeit with modest efficacy.

10 Jul 2020

Deaths of Chinese children, adolescents from infectious diseases prior to COVID-19 found to be rare

Deaths of children and adolescents in China due to infectious diseases were becoming rare prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study.

3 Apr 2020

New strain of Streptococcus A rampant in England and Wales

According to a new study on cases of scarlet fever and other Streptococcus A infections in England and Wales, the recent rise in cases is due to a newly identified strain. This accounted for the great increase in the number of cases of scarlet fever that occurred in 2014. The last such outbreak was way back in the 1960s.

11 Sep 2019

Scientists discover new strain of group A streptococcus bacteria in England and Wales

A team of scientists led by Imperial College London have discovered a new strain of group A streptococcus bacteria.

11 Sep 2019

IVI and MCRI to coordinate global push for developing vaccine against Strep A bacteria

The International Vaccine Institute and Australia's Murdoch Children's Research Institute will coordinate a global push to free the world of Group A Streptococcus, the contagious bacteria that kills half a million people every year and is developing resistance to antibiotics.

31 May 2019

Large-scale genomic sequencing narrows search for Strep A vaccine

The global search for a group A streptococcal (Strep A) vaccine has narrowed after researchers identified a common gene signature in almost all global Strep A strains by sequencing thousands of genomes in a project spanning 10 years and more than 20 countries.

28 May 2019

Researchers get one step closer to global Strep A vaccine

The search for a global Strep A vaccine has narrowed after researchers sequenced the DNA of more than 2000 Group A Streptococcus samples from around the world.

27 May 2019