Overview

• The peer-reviewed report led by the Peter Doherty Institute analyzed more than a decade of invasive SDSE cases across southeast Australia and the Northern Territory’s Top End.
• Researchers found infections are increasing nationally, with cases about 25% higher in remote northern regions than in the southeast and with older adults most affected.
• Within the Top End, Indigenous Australians faced more than three times the risk of invasive disease compared with non-Indigenous people.
• Genomic sequencing showed SDSE behaves differently from group A strep in transmission and recurrence, and a fast-spreading stG62647 clone accounted for over one quarter of cases.
• Authors report that some group A strep control measures, including antibiotic prophylaxis for contacts, appear less effective for SDSE and call for enhanced surveillance, tailored prevention and exploration of vaccines alongside action on social determinants of health.