A four-year study in Western Australia's Kimberley region has revealed that one in six school children carry the potentially deadly strep A bacteria, often without symptoms. The research, conducted by the Kids Research Institute Australia, involved weekly swabs from up to 250 children in Broome and Derby.
The Missing Piece Surveillance Study collected over 1,000 throat swabs, 200 skin swabs, and 400 blood samples from participants over four years. Children were tested every three months, with additional weekly swabs taken from those presenting with sore throats or skin sores.
Professor Asha Bowen highlighted the link between strep A infections and chronic diseases like acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 55 times more likely to die from RHD than non-Indigenous children.
Lead author Dr. Janessa Pickering noted that asymptomatic infections contribute to transmission and could be a missing link in RHD prevention. Some children carried the same strain for years, while others never contracted it, suggesting a protective microbiome.
Derby Aboriginal Health Service CEO Shelley Kneebone called for greater focus on social and environmental factors affecting children. A new study is already underway to develop point-of-care tests that could deliver results in 20 minutes, rather than the current five to seven days.
