So many important insights on #StrepA immunity in this huge piece work by @alexjkeeley.bsky.social @thushan-desilva.bsky.social and the team in #TheGambia. A real privilege to have played a small role from down-under

There are multiple reports of dramatic reductions followed by surges in invasive Strep A disease post-pandemic, and now here is one on rheumatic fever, with incidence mirroring superficial infections in the community in Auckland New Zealand - led by Julie Bennett
www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/...

This deep dive into the clinical phenotype of rheumatic fever highlights extreme diversity in presenting symptoms. An important observation from the START study, and highlights why better diagnostic tests are needed 🧪 @annapralph.bsky.social @rhcmcg.bsky.social

bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/7...

The complete spectrum of serious #StrepA disease was observed in Auckland in 2023 - a mighty lab-based enhanced surveillance effort led by Andrew Fox-Lewis and Rachel Webb www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

New preprint alert 🚨

My team and I are pleased to share our most recent story about how bacterial pathogen (Streptococcus pyogenes, Strep A) exposure induces antibody responses against glycan and protein antigens.

For paper: SSRN ssrn.com/abstract=519...
biorxiv : doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Super excited announce funded @wellcometrust.bsky.social extend #StrepA Human challenge inc. transfer to Gambia & identify correlates of protection. Great team @joshosowicki.bsky.social @precisionvaxlab.bsky.social @njmoreland.bsky.social @thushan-desilva.bsky.social y.social & others not on Bluesky

📣Research Technician job alert! Needed to support our #iSpyLIFE field work and #strep biobanking. www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

Huge effort from the lab team to develop a new assay and analyse the samples and data including @rhcmcg.bsky.social and many not on 🦋. Great to collaborate with folk we worked through the pandemic with especially Alex James on modelling, and the NZ Blood Service. Big thanks to the MWC for funding.

This type of data can provide insight into immunity to respiratory pathogens, but there is still lots to learn - including the time-frame in which antibodies return to pre-pandemic levels and conducting similar studies in those most affected during the surges such as children

We found that antibodies to RSV and Strep A declined by 6-16% in 150 healthy adults during the 3-year period of pandemic restrictions. This suggests reduced pathogen exposure was associated with a decline in antibodies in the population and may have contributed to infection surges

Following relaxation of #COVID19 restrictions surges in infections from respiratory pathogens like RSV and #StrepA have been seen in many countries including Aotearoa New Zealand.
Did waning immunity contribute? We explored this concept in our latest work, see 🧵 academic.oup.com/jid/advance-...

This #StrepA paper was a LONG labour of love from a great team 😊 Equal first & senior author credits buried at the very end, so I want to highlight the critical contributions of Dr Hannah Frost & @njmoreland.bsky.social & Dr Danika Hill @precisionvaxlab.bsky.social rdcu.be/d2gBV

Finally jumping into 🦋 - and what better way to do than highlighting this super thread. Wonderful to have been involved in this study with our Strep A friends across the Tasman