title: Skin infections among Indigenous Australians in an urban setting in far North Queensland.
abstract: Skin infections are highly prevalent in many Australian Aboriginal communities. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of group A streptococcus (GAS) and Staphylococcus aureus in skin sores of Indigenous people living in an urban setting. We undertook a cross-sectional study of 173 children and youths attending the Wuchopperen Clinic (Cairns) for treatment of skin infections. Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire, and a skin lesion swab obtained. The median age was 5.3 years, with 42% identifying themselves as Torres Strait Islanders and 34% as Aboriginal. Impetigo (65%) was the most frequent diagnosis reported followed by scabies (19%); 79% of the lesions had erythema and 70% had exudate. Of 118 lesions, 114 were positive for pathogenic bacteria, with GAS isolated in 84 cases and S. aureus in 92; both these species were recovered from 63 lesions. Significant diversity of emm-types of GAS was associated with skin lesions in Indigenous patients (22 emm-types identified). Fifteen of the 92 S. aureus isolates were suggestive of being community-acquired on the basis of antimicrobial susceptibility profile and nine of these strains were co-cultured from nine lesions. These results have implications for future changes of antibiotic policies for the treatment of skin infections in this population.
authors.affiliation: Indigenous Health Research Program, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia. Patricia.Valery@qimr.edu.au
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Valery
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wenitong
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Clements
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sheel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McMillan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stirling
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Sriprakash
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Batzloff
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vohra
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: McCarthy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012874:Skin Diseases, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires