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Assessing the Activity of Antimicrobial Peptides Against Common Marine Bacteria Located in Rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) Cultures

Rotifers are used as the first feed for marine fish larvae and are grown in large cultures that have high loads of organic matter and heterotrophic bacteria; these bacteria are passed on to the developing fish larvae and can potentially lead to bacterial infections.

Molecular Methodologies for Improved Polymicrobial Sepsis Diagnosis

Polymicrobial sepsis is associated with worse patient outcomes than monomicrobial sepsis. Routinely used culture-dependent microbiological diagnostic techniques have low sensitivity, often leading to missed identification of all causative organisms.

Look Who's Talking: Host and Pathogen Drivers of Staphylococcus epidermidis Virulence in Neonatal Sepsis

Preterm infants are at increased risk for invasive neonatal bacterial infections. S. epidermidis, a ubiquitous skin commensal, is a major cause of late-onset neonatal sepsis, particularly in high-resource settings. The vulnerability of preterm infants to serious bacterial infections is commonly attributed to their distinct and developing immune system.

Impaired Cytokine Responses to Live Staphylococcus epidermidis in Preterm Infants Precede Gram-positive, Late-onset Sepsis

Late-onset sepsis (LOS) with Staphylococcus epidermidis is common in preterm infants, but the immunological mechanisms underlying heightened susceptibility are poorly understood. Our aim is to characterize the ontogeny of cytokine responses to live S. epidermidis in preterm infants with and without subsequent Gram-positive LOS.

Plasma cytokine profiles in very preterm infants with late-onset sepsis

Very preterm infants have a marked innate inflammatory response at the time of late-onset sepsis

sPLA2 study: Immune ontogeny and prediction, prevention and management of late-onset sepsis in very preterm infants

Tobias Strunk MD, PhD, FRACP Head, Neonatal Health tobias.strunk@thekids.org.au Head, Neonatal Health Clinical Professor Tobias Strunk is a

Neonatal skin: barrier, immunity and infection prevention in the NICU

The neonatal skin is central to early survival and immune development. Far from being a passive mechanical barrier, it integrates physical, chemical, and microbial defences that together protect the infant in the immediate postnatal period. In preterm infants, structural immaturity, reduced antimicrobial capacity, and altered microbial colonisation confer heightened vulnerability to infection and inflammation.

Epidemiology of Viral Infections in Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Western Australia: A Retrospective Study From 2016 to 2021 Including the COVID-19 Pandemic

Viral infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in neonates. The COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in viral epidemiology in Western Australia. The impact on patients in neonatal intensive care is uncertain.

Routine Emollient Therapy with Coconut Oil in Preterm Infants and Allergic Sensitization at 1-Year Corrected Age

Skin care for very and extremely preterm infant is an important and previously underappreciated topic. Coconut oil skin care for preterm infants is a promising option, but several important questions remain including the theoretical potential for allergic sensitization.

Characterising commensal and pathogenic staphylococcal interactions with neonatal and adult blood

The abundant skin commensal, Staphylococcus epidermidis, is the leading cause of late-onset sepsis (LOS) in preterm infants but rarely causes infections in term infants and adults. Staphylococcal virulence mechanisms and the role of the preterm immune responses in driving these life-threatening infections remain poorly understood.