Publications

queensland tick typhus in sydney: a new endemic focus.	a new endemic focus of queensland tick typhus was defined when two cases of rickettsia australis infection were recognized in sydney. although the tick vector is distributed throughout coastal, eastern australia these are the first cases diagnosed south of lismore, new south wales.	1979	449833
prevalence of antibodies to spotted fever group rickettsiae in dogs from southeastern australia.	recent epidemiologic data suggests that rickettsia australis, the cause of queensland tick typhus, is present in southeastern australia. in order to further confirm this observation, a canine serosurvey was undertaken to determine if naturally occurring antibodies were present in pet and farm dogs from this newly-recognized endemic area. thirty-five of 312 surveyed dogs (11.2%) had indirect immunofluorescent antibody titers of 1:64 or greater against r. australis antigen. positive control sera w ...	1991	1877719
spotted fever group rickettsial infections in australia.	more than four decades ago, rickettsia australis was discovered to be the etiologic agent of queensland tick typhus (qtt), yet many unanswered questions persist about the ecology, epidemiology, and clinical features of this disease. we review 46 previously published cases of qtt along with 16 cases discovered by active surveillance. qtt is usually a mild disease. patients often have regional lymphadenopathy and eschars. some have vesicular rashes. because clinical features overlap, serologic tes ...	1991	1962102
vectors vs. humans in australia--who is on top down under? an update on vector-borne disease and research on vectors in australia.	australia has a diversity of vectors and vector-borne human diseases. mosquito-borne arboviruses are of greatest concern, but there are issues with other vector and pathogen systems. mosquitoes were responsible for more than 35,000 cases of ross river virus during 1991-1997. barmah forest virus is increasing nationwide, and unidentified bunyaviruses suspected of causing illness have been isolated. cases of murray valley encephalitis have occurred in 14 of the past 20 years in northern australia. ...	1998	9673928
serology of a strain of rickettsia australis isolated in south-east queensland.		1957	13430037
the isolation of a rickettsia resembling rickettsia australis in south east queensland.		1955	14393178
severe spotted fever group rickettsiosis, australia.	we report 3 cases of spotted fever group rickettsial infection (presumed queensland tick typhus) in residents of northern queensland, australia, who had unusually severe clinical manifestations. complications included renal failure, purpura fulminans, and severe pneumonia. clinical illness caused by rickettsia australis may not be as benign as previously described.	2007	18217560
genome sequence of rickettsia australis, the agent of queensland tick typhus.	rickettsia australis strain phillips(t) was isolated in queensland, australia, in 1950. it is the tick-borne agent of queensland tick typhus, a disease endemic in australia. the 1.29-mb genome sequence of this bacterium is highly similar to that of rickettsia akari but contains two plasmids.	0	22933759
queensland tick typhus: three cases with unusual clinical features.	queensland tick typhus (qtt), caused by rickettsia australis, is usually a relatively mild illness but can occasionally be severe. we describe three cases of probable qtt with unusual clinical features, namely splenic infarction, fulminant myopericarditis and severe leukocytoclastic vasculitis. qtt may present with uncommon clinical features in addition to the more common manifestations. a high index of suspicion enables specific antibiotic therapy that may hasten recovery.	2013	23841762
queensland tick typhus in rural new south wales.	we report five cases of rickettsia australis infection from southern coastal new south wales, australia. all patients presented with a cutaneous eruption of erythematous papules and pustules and systemic features of malaise, headache, lymphadenopathy and myalgia. acute kidney injury (aki) was present in two of five cases and one of five cases had acute delirium. improvement was only seen after treatment with doxycycline 100 mg b.i.d. positive serology for r. australis was present in four of five ...	2016	27282826
rickettsia australis and queensland tick typhus: a rickettsial spotted fever group infection in australia.	rickettsia australis, the etiologic agent of queensland tick typhus (qtt), is increasingly being recognized as a cause of community-acquired acute febrile illness in eastern australia. changing human population demographics, climate change, and increased understanding of expanding vector distribution indicate qtt is an emerging public health threat. this review summarizes the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, treatment principles, and future directions of this disease. increased rec ...	2017	28719297