A comparison of media for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Streptococcus pyogenes

This project applies most directly to the skin theme of HOT NORTH.

The research will compare growth and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) strains on blood agar media and Mueller Hinton Agar (MHA). EUCAST guidelines currently recommend Horse Blood Agar with lysed horse blood and β-NAD (MHF), a media that is expensive and difficult to access in resource poor areas.

This project seeks to improve uptake of appropriate antibiotic therapy to GAS skin infections by testing the effectiveness of the cheaper MHA. In particular, this project builds upon the research conducted at Menzies School of Health Research by my supervisors and their colleagues to facilitate the use of oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (SXT) for historically undertreated skin and soft tissue infections in Aboriginal people.

This project also addresses two other HOT NORTH themes. By encouraging appropriate antibiotic therapy for impetigo, it seeks to prevent Rheumatic Fever and reduce the chronic disease burden of
rheumatic heart disease in Aboriginal people. Furthermore, this project seeks to improve the availability of appropriate AST and will help address the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in northern Australia and worldwide.