I am exciting to publish our validated, lab-based model of oral gonorrhoea infection! With this model we can begin to understand how gonorrhoea behaves in the mouth (which is lacking) and screen for new compounds for interventions such as a gum to prevent infections. sti.bmj.com/content/earl...

Our new review “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘝𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤-𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘴” is out Compared to antibiotics, vaccines: ✓ Act prophylactically at low pathogen burden ✓ Less prone to inducing resistance due to multifactorial nature of immune pressure 🧵1/3

Exited to announce 2 EDCTP consortiums led @lshtm.bsky.social w partners in Europe & West, East & Southern Africa MAMS4CL will deliver seamless Phase 2-3 trial of treatments for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. IVMKIDS will provide data on paediatric dosing ivermectin down to 5kg/weight for STH & Scabies.

Phenomenal piece of work by a great team across @mrcunitgambia.bsky.social @lshtm.bsky.social @sheffielduni.bsky.social - Delighted to have played a small part in combining epidemiology & immunology to shed light on what protection for #StrepA might look like & help advance vaccine development.

Fantastic to see this immense body of excellent work published! Well done @alexjkeeley.bsky.social and everyone involved 👏 #StrepA @floreyinstitute.bsky.social @molmicrosheffield.bsky.social

VERY excited by our latest work on StrepA below, but also rhe multiple collaborations and work to come off the back of this at MRCG

🧵 Our paper out today in @naturemedicine.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41... On development of #StrepA #Immunity over life course in #TheGambia raising hope for #vaccines on the horizon 1/ #Immunosky #IDsky #MicroSky #globalhealth.

A real pleasure to be a part of this beautiful new study on T cell responses in repeat controlled human infection vs natural infection with #schistosomes, spearheaded by @emmahoulder.bsky.social with many wonderful colleagues #helminths #ImmunoSky #IDSky 🪱 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Congratulations to 𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐍 on the successful defense of his PhD "𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘋𝘳𝘶𝘨 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘴" in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program as part of his dual degree training in the UCSD SSPPS PharmD/PhD Program

Thanks for the reference! And of course there's this classic from @tonybreu.bsky.social x.com/tony_breu/st...

Latest from @mrcunitgambia.bsky.social #StrepA group. Show clinical decision rules developed elsewhere (mostly HIC) have poor performance in Gambia & molecular tests detect far more #StrepA than culture. Given burden of RhD in Africa we urgently need better & affordable tests for #StrepA diagnosis

RSV and pneumococcus demonstrate close interaction in epidemiological studies but which is 🐥 and which is 🥚. This study by our group is designed to find out... #idsky #medsky journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

A Phase II, Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of HEX17, a Novel Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Drug, in a Controlled Human Infection Model of Influenza Challenge. Kitson, G., Byford, M., Cass, L. et al. Infect Dis Ther (2025). doi.org/10.1007/s401...

Come & work with me @benvyle.bsky.social @lshtm.bsky.social & @thelovetankcic.bsky.social Research Assistant with funded PhD within multidisciplinary project on Syphilis & STI control in the UK. Working with us to understand stakeholder & community perspectives on novel STI control strategies

Read the latest Journal of #Infection for the Phase-IIa trial and how it evaluates the safety and pharmacokinetics of high-dose, 10 weekly subcutaneous injections of penicillin (#SCIP) in young people with a history of acute rheumatic fever (#ARF) 👉 www.journalofinfecti...

🄰🅆🄴🅂🄾🄼🄴 Stubbusch et al 𝘚𝘊𝘐𝘌𝘕𝘊𝘌 Bacteria 🦠 repurpose Type VI Secretion Systems based on environmental cues: Nutrient-rich environments ➜ kill competitors Under starvation ➜ lyse neighbors to scavenge their nutrients Even “non-pathogens” shift from competition to predation as a survival strategy

Dr O Xie has an entertaining talk on S. dys subsp eq [SDSE] 🐴 iSDSE has similar incidence and mortality v iGAS 🐎 Less genomic clustering in SDSE 🫏 Global dissemination iSDSE driven by stG62647-lineage #LISSSD25 #clinmicro #idsky

Last of the #LISSSD25 presentations is Prof Victor Nizet imploring the community to think like streptococci in these times of authoritarianism USA anti-science 🍇 Evade host immunity (cont to do work) 🍇 Form biofilms (network) 🍇 Colonise diverse hosts (expand skill sets) #strep #idsky

I said no more #LISSSD25 posts but forgot a major highlight! Most sessions started w/ a patient lived experience video, and you can see them all @ lisssd2025.org/patient-stories Looking after patients during thier illnesses is v. stressful so it's great to hear their experiences when recovered.

Prof N Moreland from NZ speaks through the ARF perturbed immune response in ARF. 🌍 All strep A serotypes assoc w/ ARF in NZ 🌍 Increased IgG3 ab phenotpes 🌍 Immune infiltration valves incl plasma cells. 🌍 DIifferences in immue activation in acute & chronic RHD #LISSSD25

Dr K Gibney flys the flag for 🦘 clin trials by 🎺 ISAAC 🔎 at Abx prophylaxis of close iGAS contacts (enrolling soon) STRAP 🔎 backbone Abx, adjunctive Abx, and IVIg (enrolling 2026ish) Only enrolling in Aus for now but looking for int. collab. #LISSSD25 #idsky #clinicaltrials #strep

Prof M Good & A/Prof M Pandey close #LISSSD25 thanking all the local committee, scientific advisory committee (led by Dr T Lamagni & @joshosowicki.bsky.social), presenters, and delegates. Prof A Steer announces #LISSSD28 is to be held in 📌 Limassol, Cyprus 🇨🇾 2028

Dr J Hart & team on validating clinical decision rules for strep throat: 🌹 Fiji rule (sore throat & neither coryza or hoarseness) is no better than chance. 🚫 No other algorithm tested is any better! Underscores urgent need for POC diagnostics in these settings. #LISSSD25 #idsky

Prof M Good from Griffith reports some cool unpub phase I vaccine data from two vaccine candidates (J8/S2 & P*17/S2) 💉 Both protect in 🐁 💉 Induce ab response in🚶‍♂️ 💉 Wanes after 6 months, BUT 💉 Opsonic killing increases after 6m #LISSSD25 #strepA #idsky

More cool penicillin data - A/Prof J Bennett presents NZ data for subcut BenPen for RHD/ARF 💉 Penicillin >20ng/mL for 56d & >10ng/mL for 70d 💉 Worked better in ⬆️ BMI 💉 No breakthrough infections 😊 Highly accepted - only 1 pt switched back to IM BenPen #LISSSD25 #idsky

A/Prof Laurens Manning presents a human challenge study looking to define penicillin MIC to prevent strep throat. 💊 ~9ng/mL penicillin (lower then standard threshold 20ng/mL) prevents clinical strep throat and systemic inflammation as measured by CRP. #LISSSD25 #idsky

Prof A Steer speaks about the progress to a Strep A vaccine, and highlights the current Emm and non-emm candidates as well as the challenges in Strep A. Steer highlights new human challenge models, published trial complication guidelines and monitoring, and building momenum. #LISSSD25 #idsky

Prof de Silva & Dr Keeley speak on Strep A epi & immunity in the Gambia. 🗝️ Hyperendemicity of Strep A 🗝️ Index infections not explained by household contacts 🗝️ Early life immunity develops <2 y/o 🗝️ Ab response to carriage & infection 🗝️ ?protective immunity from SLO, SpyAD, SpyCEP #LISSSD25 #IDsky

Dr A Seale of the Gates foundation talks about the burden of and difficulties of understanding it in GBS worldwide, but of even the likely under estimates suggest 1billion USD yearly benefits of a vaccine. She then links the successful RSV vaccine as a model for a possible GBS. #LISSSD25 #idsky #gbs

Mr T Mkaliainga presents unpub data re verbal autopsies of RHD deaths with caregivers in Malawi and their experiences. Overall the caregivers report thankfulness but a recurrent theme is a distrust of BPG and attribution of mortality to this - another call 4 better Strep A marketing #LISSSD #idsky

@stephlo.bsky.social & global partners describe the extent (worldwide) of intra-country spread (<4 years) of pneumococcus through in silico genotyping, then outlines genotypic methods of predicting vaccine escape (capsules 33F -> 33E) using this in silico data. #LISSSD25 #idsky

LISSSD 2025 starts with SAVAC 2.0 [Strep A Vaccine Global Consortium] forum as a pre-meeting (savac.ivi.int) where the co-chairs Dr Jerome H. Kim & Prof. Andrew Steer talked about some of the outcomes of SAVAC 1.0 [academic.oup.com/ofid/issue/9/Supplement_1] #LISSSD25 #IDsky #clinmicro #strep

Household molecular epidemiology of Streptococcus pyogenes carriage and infection in The Gambia ✅ Just Accepted #IDSky

Going to try my hand at live tweeting a conference - the Lancefield meeting in Brisbane next week (lisssd2025.org). Any tips @onisillos.bsky.social ? #idsky #lisssd #streptococci

an absolutely crazy week capped off with an NDM and an OXA-48 at two different community hospitals seems like the perfect way to say happy (belated) ID pharmacists day to the best and coolest humans out there @sidpharm.bsky.social. I love this job so much 😍

Great post-doc opportunity at Sanger on one of our collaborative projects focused on Syphilis & vaccine development. Opportunity to do some really unique science in a world leading group. Closing date 22nd June

Rationale and Ethical Assessment of an Oropharyngeal Gonorrhea Controlled Human Infection Model #IDSky

From 2013 to 2022, invasive group A Streptococcus infections increased in 10 US states, with higher incidence among older adults, American Indian or Alaska Native persons, and vulnerable groups. #MedSky ja.ma/3Z2jYOW

such a joy to discuss PSSA/MSSA domains of SNAP. incredible work led by @gurujosh.bsky.social @steventong.bsky.social conversation w/ the fabulous @angelahuttner.bsky.social joint effort @escmid.bsky.social Communicable & @sidpharm.bsky.social Breakpoints podcast podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

My latest for @contagionlive.bsky.social on the lastest data about cellulitis epidemiology and how we can use that to update our treatment paradigms! #IDSky

The first #Communicable & #Breakpoints collaboration episode drops Mon 5 May! Hosts @angelahuttner.bsky.social & @erinmccreary.bsky.social interview SNAP trial investigators, @steventong.bsky.social & Joshua Davis, on the results shared at #ESCMIDGlobal 2025. #IDSky #clinmicro @sidpharm.bsky.social

Please apply if your interested in running a new adaptive platform trial for invasive Streptococcal infections. Will work closely with the #SNAP_trial team. @thedohertyinst.bsky.social Applications close May 20 2025. jobs.unimelb.edu.au/en/job/92003...

Jewish Labour Bund activist Dr Marek Edelman, who was the last surviving #WarsawGhettoUprising ZOB commander (Jewish Combat Organisation). The uprising began on April 19 1943. Like Marek in this photo (I imagine) we will never forget to honour the memory of fallen comrades.

Great to see the funding for the STRAP trial. A linked UK funding application should be going in imminently.

SNAP is extending from S aureus to invasive streptococcal infections! A new platform trial for iGAS and iSDSE @gurujosh.bsky.social @joshosowicki.bsky.social @drmichaelmarks.bsky.social www.doherty.edu.au/news-events/...

@steventong.bsky.social presents the results of the PSSA domain of the SNAP 🫰 trial - the worlds largest trial of staph aureus bacteremia - at #ESCMID2025 fluclox resulted in higher mortality and more AKI compared to penicillin for PSSA

Looking for the hot trials that may change your practice at #ESCMIDGlobal2025? Dr. @steventong.bsky.social has you covered as he shares findings from the #SNAP Trial 💊 Among 281 pts w/ PCN-susceptible S. aureus BSI, compared to flucloxacillin, benzylpenicillin had lower 90-day mortality & less AKI

Theresa Lamagni & I had the privilege of standing in for a wonderful but ‘unavailable’ 🇺🇸 CDC team to discuss their new Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs) update of iGAS epidemiology in 🇺🇸 on this @jama.com podcast. @mcri.bsky.social @ukhsa.bsky.social edhub.ama-assn.org/jn-learning/...

Theresa Lamagni & I had the privilege of standing in for a wonderful but ‘unavailable’ 🇺🇸 CDC team to discuss their new Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs) update of iGAS epidemiology in 🇺🇸 on this @jama.com podcast. @mcri.bsky.social @ukhsa.bsky.social edhub.ama-assn.org/jn-learning/...

New review article on management of S. aureus bacteraemia: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... @jama.com @vancefowler.bsky.social #IDSky Check out the gorgeous Figure which brings together elements of pathogenesis and management: (thread)