Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)最新文献

{"title":"Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Program, 1 April to 30 June 2025.","authors":"Monica Lahra, Siobhan Hurley, Sebastiaan Van Hal, Tiffany Hogan","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2026.50.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The National Neisseria Network (NNN), Australia, established in 1979, comprises reference laboratories in each state and territory. Since 1981, the NNN has reported data for the Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme (AGSP), on antimicrobial susceptibility profiles for <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> isolated from each jurisdiction for an agreed group of agents. The antibiotics reported represent current or potential agents used for the treatment of gonorrhoea, and include ceftriaxone, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin and penicillin. More recently, gentamicin and tetracycline are included in the AGSP Annual Report. Ceftriaxone, combined with azithromycin, is the recommended treatment regimen for gonorrhoea in Australia. Historically, there were substantial geographic differences in susceptibility patterns across the country, with certain remote regions of the Northern Territory and Western Australia having low gonococcal antimicrobial resistance rates. In these regions, an oral treatment regimen comprising amoxycillin, probenecid, and azithromycin was recommended. However, since January 2023, increasing reports of penicillin-resistant <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> in the Northern Territory have changed treatment recommendations to align with the majority of Australia.1 Additional data on other antibiotics are reported in the AGSP Annual Report. The AGSP has a programme-specific quality assurance process.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"50 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146067359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Where the cooling water drifts: an outbreak of <i>Legionella pneumophila</i> serogroup 1 in the central business district of Sydney, December 2023 - January 2024.","authors":"Eunice Stiboy, Misha Klingstrom, Karen Chee, Mark Ferson, Sandra Chaverot, Brian Huang, Toby Hannan, Philip Pershen, Kirsty Hope, Zoe Baldwin, Geoffrey Prendergast, Kristy McCreadie, Anita Smojver, Catherine Pitman, Anna Smith, Keira Glasgow, Vitali Sintchenko, Geraldine Sullivan, Qinning Wang, Amy Parry, Jeremy McAnulty, Vicky Sheppeard, Anthea Katelaris","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2025.49.063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2025.49.063","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Legionnaires' disease causes severe pneumonia. Outbreaks are infrequent in Australia, with cooling water systems (CWS) regulated to reduce risk. In summer 2024, a <i>Legionella pneumophila</i> serogroup 1 (Lp1) outbreak was detected in visitors to the Sydney central business district (CBD). We investigated to identify cases and to control the source.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Case-patients were detected through routine laboratory notifications and classified as per surveillance case definitions. Case-patients were interviewed to determine symptoms, and environmental exposures 2-10 days prior to symptom onset. We mapped exposures sites and walking routes to identify areas for investigation. CWS in shared exposure areas were inspected and tested for <i>Legionella</i>. Historical results from routine CWS testing were reviewed. Genomic sequencing was performed on environmental and patient isolates. Clinician and public alerts were issued, and CBD building managers were reminded to maintain CWS.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The investigation identified 15 legionellosis case-patients: two had Lp1 positive sputum cultures, 14 were hospitalised, and six required intensive care. All case-patients visited the CBD during the period 12-26 December 2023. Between 3-12 January 2024, testing was performed on 166 CWS across 118 CBD sites, and on three water fountains. Lp1 was cultured from one CWS. Genomic sequencing from five environmental and two clinical isolates showed a probable link. The positive CWS was decontaminated but continued to have Lp1 detected, possibly due to ongoing dust contamination, necessitating additional maintenance. Weeks later, a case-patient diagnosed in Europe, who had visited key exposure locations in the CBD during 21-23 December 2023, was epidemiologically linked to the outbreak; this took the total number of case-patients to 16.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our investigation indicated that a contaminated CWS may have been the source of this outbreak, with contamination potentially precipitated by nearby construction. This emphasises the importance of strengthening Australian CWS regulations to reduce Lp1 outbreak risk, and of timely reporting under International Health Regulations to identify additional outbreak cases.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"49 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145769283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epidemiology of invasive group A streptococcal disease in the North East of Melbourne: insights from surveillance data.","authors":"Safiya Rahman, Clarissa Moreira, Aaron Osborne, Hibaq Ahmed, Annaliese Van Diemen","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2025.49.059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2025.49.059","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Invasive group A streptococcal disease (iGAS) was made a notifiable condition in Australia in July 2021 and in Victoria in February 2022. The North Eastern Public Health Unit (NEPHU) in metropolitan Melbourne began managing iGAS cases in May 2023 with little prior knowledge of local epidemiology. Case numbers in NEPHU increased by 139% from 64 in 2022 to 153 in 2023. The incidence rate increased from 3.5 per 100,000 population in 2022 to 8.4 per 100,000 population in 2023. The case fatality rate in NEPHU during this period was 6.9%, with almost half of all deaths among individuals aged 70 years and above. Chronic conditions were commonly reported in the cases' clinical histories, with 29% of NEPHU cases reporting an underlying illness. International trends of increased incidence of iGAS have been reflected in the NEPHU catchment, albeit with only two years of surveillance data. Monitoring trends in iGAS is an ongoing priority for NEPHU, to better understand disease patterns within the catchment area and to inform public health actions.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"49 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145769311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"2025 Review of Public Health Laboratory Network Australia <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> National Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing Guidelines.","authors":"David Whiley, Sebastiaan Van Hal, Todd Pryce, Monica Lahra","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2025.49.067","DOIUrl":"10.33321/cdi.2025.49.067","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since the introduction of <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> nucleic acid amplification tests (NG-NAATs) into routine clinical use, false-positive results caused by cross-reaction with non-gonococcal Neisseria species have been an issue, particularly in specimens from the pharynx. Therefore, since 2005 in Australia, a confirmatory assay has been recommended, with a positive result issued only when both assays are concordant. At the request of the Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) Australia, the National Neisseria Network (NNN) met to review the 2015 PHLN NG-NAATs Guidelines in October 2024, in the context that some later generation <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> NAATs have claims for testing pharyngeal samples without the need for supplemental testing for confirmation. Adequacy of performance in this context was considered by the NNN as a positive predictive value of 95% in line with World Health Organization guidance. Based on the 2024 review, it is recommended that: • Supplementary testing continue to be performed for all non-urogenital (pharyngeal and rectal) samples. • Supplementary testing be at the discretion of individual laboratories, based on local validation data demonstrating adequate performance based on WHO recommendations, for urogenital samples. Additional testing should continue to be considered when testing low-risk populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"49 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145768837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surveillance of adverse events following immunisation in Australia annual report, COVID-19 vaccines, 2022.","authors":"Yuanfei Anny Huang, Claire Larter, Megan Hickie, Megan O'Moore, Belinda Jones, Lucy Deng, Sophie Russell, Elspeth Kay, Kristine Macartney, Nicholas Wood","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2025.49.044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2025.49.044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This report summarises Australia's spontaneous surveillance data for adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) for COVID-19 vaccines given in 2022 reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). The TGA strongly promoted and facilitated adverse event reporting in preparation for and during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout as a core component of the most intensive vaccine safety monitoring ever conducted in Australia. There were 18,398 AEFI reports for COVID-19 vaccines administered in 2022, corresponding to an annual AEFI reporting rate of 89.6 per 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered. The annual AEFI reporting rate for non-COVID-19 vaccines in 2022 was 18.8 per 100,000 doses administered to people of all ages. Overall, the most frequently reported symptoms were adverse events consistent with the expected side effects from vaccines, as reported in clinical trials. These were classified as 'gastrointestinal nonspecific symptoms and therapeutic procedures', headache, chest pain, myalgia and pyrexia. The most frequently reported adverse events of special interest were myocarditis and/or pericarditis, followed by thrombosis and thromboembolism, and anaphylaxis. Of all COVID-19 vaccine AEFI reports, 160 (0.9%) included a fatal outcome, of which over 60% were in people aged ≥ 60 years. Of these 160 reports, only one was assessed by a Vaccine Safety Investigation Group (VSIG) as a death likely to be causally linked to vaccination. This report confirms the value of spontaneous post-marketing vaccine pharmacovigilance, especially in the context of new vaccines using novel technologies and a near whole-of-population pandemic vaccination program. Ongoing safety monitoring continued to review and respond to reports of rare, unexpected conditions, such as myocarditis/pericarditis, with investigations resulting in changes to vaccine recommendations and product information. Overall, COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring continued to demonstrate a reassuring safety profile for these vaccines, especially among children and adolescents aged 11 years and below, in whom COVID-19 vaccines were used for the first time in 2022 in Australia.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"49 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145769322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Australian National Enterovirus Reference Laboratory annual report, 2024.","authors":"Matthew Kaye, Linda Hobday, Leesa Bruggink, Jade McKenzie, Yi Nong, Bruce Thorley","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2025.49.047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2025.49.047","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Having been declared polio-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2000, Australia remains at risk of poliovirus importation until the virus is eradicated globally. Australia monitors for poliovirus by conducting surveillance for cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in children less than 15 years of age, as recommended by the WHO. Cases of AFP in children are notified to the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit or the Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance System, and faecal specimens are referred for virological investigation to the National Enterovirus Reference Laboratory. In 2024, no cases of poliomyelitis were reported from clinical surveillance and Australia reported 2.04 non-polio AFP cases per 100,000 children, thereby meeting the WHO's performance criterion for a sensitive surveillance system. Non-polio enteroviruses including enterovirus A71 were identified from clinical specimens collected from 14 AFP cases. Australia also performs enterovirus and wastewater surveillance to complement the clinical surveillance system focussed on children. In 2024, there were 21 different non-polio enterovirus types detected in 764 clinical specimens referred for enterovirus typing, while an ambiguous vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 was detected through wastewater surveillance. In 2024, there were 99 cases of wild poliovirus reported from the two remaining endemic countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Another 319 cases of poliomyelitis due to circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus were reported across 21 countries.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"49 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145769004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing two acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis outbreaks in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area, Queensland.","authors":"Allison Hempenstall, Darien Payne, Caroline Taunton, Nancy Lui-Gamia, Nishila Moodley, Malcolm McDonald","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2025.49.062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2025.49.062","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In late 2023, an outbreak report of acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) in the Torres Strait documented seven confirmed cases and one probable case. This prompted an island-wide mass drug administration of oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole to children aged 12 months to 17 years of age, possibly the first of its kind in response to an APSGN outbreak. In early 2024, an APSGN outbreak was declared with one confirmed and two probable cases, in the nearby Northern Peninsula Area of Cape York. The public health response to this outbreak included screening all children between 12 months and < 17 years of age for skin sores and sore throats, with treatment provided as deemed clinically appropriate. Both outbreaks reported nil further cases in the four months following each response. The relative merits of the different approaches will be discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"49 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145769252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A large foodborne outbreak of <i>Salmonella</i> Typhimurium linked to bánh mì, Western Australia, 2024.","authors":"Alison Brown, Stacey Hong, Barry Combs, Nicole Foxcroft, Jelena Maticevic, Rebecca Hogan, Henry Tan, Avram Levy, Cara Minney-Smith, Daniel Knight, Md Rezanur Rahaman, Paul Armstrong","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2025.49.066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2025.49.066","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In March 2024, the Department of Health in Western Australia investigated an outbreak of <i>Salmonella</i> linked to a food venue serving bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwiches). Outbreak cases were notified via laboratories, health services, local government, and cases referring sick co-exposed individuals. Structured interviews were conducted to determine demographic, illness and food exposure histories, and descriptive analyses were performed. The investigation identified 146 outbreak cases linked to the food venue. All outbreak cases had symptoms of salmonellosis, and 34 cases (24%) were hospitalised. Descriptive analysis found a strong association between illness and the consumption of bánh mì (139 cases) or tofu salad (three cases) from the food venue. This finding was supported by environmental and laboratory evidence, with <i>Salmonella</i> Typhimurium multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis linking 112 cases (77%) to samples from the food venue's benchtop blender and tofu mix. The contaminated blender had been used to make three products: chicken and pork liver pâté, raw-egg mayonnaise, and a crispy rice tofu. The liver was undercooked before blending and was suspected to be the most likely source of the outbreak. To control the outbreak, the venue stopped using the blender and switched to using commercial mayonnaise, and staff were trained on safer cooking and hygiene processes. The outbreak highlights the critical importance of application of food safety standards in commercial kitchens, especially in relation to commonly used appliances, and to raw liver and mayonnaise products. Furthermore, it demonstrated that open and timely communication between food businesses, local government, laboratories and health agencies are key to the rapid identification of, and response to, foodborne outbreaks.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"49 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145768861","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surveillance of adverse events following immunisation in Australia annual report, 2022.","authors":"Yuanfei Anny Huang, Claire Larter, Megan Hickie, Megan O'Moore, Belinda Jones, Lucy Deng, Sophie Russell, Elspeth Kay, Kristine Macartney, Nicholas Wood","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2025.49.043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2025.49.043","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This report summarises Australia's spontaneous surveillance data for non-COVID-19 vaccine adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) for 2022, reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). National spontaneous (passive) surveillance data for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine AEFI reported to the TGA are analysed and discussed in a separate companion publication. There were 3,642 AEFI reports for non-COVID-19 vaccines administered in 2022, representing an annual AEFI reporting rate of 14.0 per 100,000 population, compared with 13.4 per 100,000 population in 2021. This very small increase in the AEFI reporting rate in 2022 could potentially be related to the combination of several factors: a gradual return to pre-pandemic AEFI reporting patterns; new vaccination programs in response to outbreaks of emergent vaccine preventable diseases (Japanese encephalitis and mpox); and a change in the reporting activities of pharmaceutical sponsors. AEFI reporting rates for individual vaccines in 2022 were similar to 2021.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"49 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145769325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An outbreak of genomically clustered group A <i>Streptococcus</i> in a school community, Victoria, 2023.","authors":"Aaron Osborne, Julia Marshall, Janet Strachan, Amy Parry, Annaliese Van Diemen, Hazel Clothier","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2025.49.060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2025.49.060","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In 2023, a global increase in invasive group A streptococcal disease (GAS) caused serious illness and death. The North Eastern Public Health Unit (NEPHU) in Victoria, Australia, identified an outbreak of GAS in a school in July 2023; we investigated to describe the epidemiology, to identify risk factors for severe disease, and to implement control measures. We defined confirmed cases as those with laboratory, clinical and epidemiological evidence. Probable cases had clinical evidence with an epidemiological link to a confirmed case but no laboratory evidence. Absentee data were collated for students preceding the onset of the index case. We developed an online, self-administered survey for all students to identify contacts with clinically compatible illnesses. Cultures were genomically sequenced. We identified 11 cases (five confirmed, six probable) among the cohort of 38 (a 29% attack rate), with onset dates from 24 July to 27 August 2023. The index case had a severe invasive GAS infection requiring hospitalisation; eight of 11 cases (73%) reported sore throat and one reported scarlet fever as their primary syndrome. Fifteen of 28 students (54%) were absent from the school during the period preceding the index case's onset. We monitored for two incubation periods following the onset of the last case to 5 September 2023 (six days), with no further cases identified. Isolates all typed as <i>emm1</i>, with genomic clustering consistent with localised transmission. This outbreak demonstrated group A <i>Streptococcus</i> (GAS) transmissibility in a school with multiple clinical manifestations.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"49 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145768910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}