The Medical journal of Australia
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• Guidelines reflecting contemporary clinical practice in the management of Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection) in Australia were published in 2007. • Management has continued to evolve, as new evidence has become available from randomised trials, case series and increasing clinical experience with oral antibiotic therapy. • Therefore, guidelines on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Buruli ulcer in Australia have been updated. They include guidance on the new role of antibiotics as first-line therapy; the shortened duration of antibiotic treatment and the use of all-oral antibiotic regimens; the continued importance, timing and role of surgery; the recognition and management of paradoxical reactions during antibiotic treatment; and updates on the prevention of disease.
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To report the quarterly incidence of hospital-identified Clostridium difficile infection (HI-CDI) in Australia, and to estimate the burden ascribed to hospital-associated (HA) and community-associated (CA) infections. ⋯ A significant increase in both HA-CDI and CA-CDI identified through hospital surveillance occurred in Australia during 2011-2012. Studies are required to further characterise the epidemiology of CDI in Australia.
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Decreasing prevalence of Trichuris trichiura (whipworm) in the Northern Territory from 2002 to 2012.
To observe the prevalence, disease associations, and temporal trends in Trichuris trichiura (whipworm) infection in the Northern Territory between 2002 and 2012. ⋯ T. trichiura is the most frequently identified soil-transmitted helminth infecting patients in NT Government health care facilities. Cases are identified predominantly in Indigenous patients in remote communities. We have observed a declining prevalence of whipworm infection in the NT.