Tuberculosis notifications in Australia, 2008 and 2009.

The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System received 1,194 tuberculosis (TB) notifications in 2008 and 1,322 notifications in 2009. The incidence of TB in Australia was 5.6 cases per 100,000 population in 2008 and 6.0 per 100,000 in 2009, similar to rates since 1986. In both 2008 and 2009, more than 85% of cases occurred in the overseas-born population. The incidence in the Australian-born Indigenous population was 6.2 per 100,000 population in 2008 and 4.8 per 100,000 in 2009. By contrast, the incidence of TB in the Australian-born non-Indigenous population was 0.9 per 100,000 in both 2008 and 2009. Household or other close contact with TB or past residence in a high risk country were the most commonly reported risk factors for TB infection. In 2008, 83 cases of TB were reported in health care workers; this decreased to 75 in 2009. There were no reports of TB transmission in Australian health care settings. Outcome data of the 2007 and 2008 TB cohort indicate that treatment success was attained in more than 95% of cases. As Australia continues to contribute to global TB control it is important to maintain good centralised reporting of TB to identify populations at risk and for early detection of reversal in trends in TB.

Invasive pneumococcal disease in Australia 2007 and 2008.

Enhanced surveillance for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) was conducted in all Australian states and territories in 2007 and 2008 with comprehensive comparative data available since 2002. There were 1,477 cases of IPD notified to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System in Australia in 2007; a notification rate of 7.0 cases per 100,000 population. In 2008 there were 1,628 cases; a notification rate of 7.6 cases per 100,000 population. The overall rate of IPD in Indigenous Australians was almost 6 times the rate in non-Indigenous Australians in 2007 and almost 5 times in 2008. By 2008, the 4th year of a funded universal infant 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (7vPCV) program in Australia with a 3+0 schedule, vaccine serotype IPD notification rates in those identified as non-Indigenous decreased in all age groups compared with 2002 levels, most significantly by 96% in children aged less than 5 years. However, rates of disease in non-vaccine serotypes increased by 168% in children aged less than 5 years, including a four-fold increase in the number of cases due to serotype 19A. For the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, national pre-vaccination data are not available, as the vaccine program was funded for this group from 2001. From 2002 to 2008, the proportion of disease due to 7vPCV serotypes in children aged less than 5 years decreased by 77%, while disease due to non-7vPCV serotypes increased by 76%. In Indigenous adults (≥50 years), rates of 23vPPV serotypes increased by 92%. There were 120 deaths attributed to IPD in 2007 and 113 in 2008, although it should be noted that deaths may be under-reported. The number of invasive pneumococcal isolates with reduced penicillin susceptibility remains low and reduced susceptibility to third-generation cephalosporins is rare.

Australia's notifiable disease status, 2010: annual report of the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

In 2010, 65 diseases and conditions were nationally notifiable in Australia. States and territories reported a total of 209,079 notifications of communicable diseases to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, a decrease of 12% on the number of notifications in 2009. This decrease was largely due to a reduction of influenza compared with the influenza A(H1N1) pandemic 2009. In 2010, the most frequently notified diseases were sexually transmissible infections (86,620 notifications, 41.4% of total notifications), vaccine preventable diseases (61,964 notifications, 29.6% of total notifications), and gastrointestinal diseases (31,548 notifications, 15.1% of total notifications). There were 18,302 notifications of bloodborne diseases; 8,244 notifications of vectorborne diseases; 1,866 notifications of other bacterial infections; 532 notifications of zoonoses and 3 notifications of quarantinable diseases.

Store-operated calcium entry channels in pulmonary endothelium: the emerging story of TRPCS and Orai1.

Cells of diverse origin utilize shifts in cytosolic calcium concentrations as intracellular signals to elicit physiological responses. In endothelium, inflammatory first messengers increase cytosolic calcium as a signal to disrupt cell-cell borders and produce inter-cellular gaps. Calcium influx across the plasma membrane is required to initiate barrier disruption, although the calcium entry mechanism responsible for this effect remains poorly understood. This chapter highlights recent efforts to define the molecular anatomy of the ion channel responsible for triggering endothelial cell gap formation. Resolving the identity and function of this calcium channel will pave the way for new anti-inflammatory therapeutic targets.

Australia's notifiable disease status, 2009: annual report of the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

In 2009, 65 diseases and conditions were nationally notifiable in Australia. States and territories reported a total of 236,291 notifications of communicable diseases to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, an increase of 48% on the number of notifications in 2008. This increase was largely due to cases of influenza A(H1N1) pandemic 2009. In 2009, the most frequently notified diseases were vaccine preventable diseases (101,627 notifications, 43% of total notifications), sexually transmissible infections (73,399 notifications, 31% of total notifications), and gastrointestinal diseases (31,697 notifications, 13% of total notifications). There were 18,861 notifications of bloodborne diseases; 8,232 notifications of vectorborne diseases; 1,919 notifications of other bacterial infections; 552 notifications of zoonoses and 4 notifications of quarantinable diseases.

Australia's notifiable disease status, 2008: annual report of the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

In 2008, 65 communicable diseases and conditions were nationally notifiable in Australia. States and territories reported a total of 160,508 notifications of communicable diseases to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, an increase of 9% on the number of notifications in 2007. In 2008, the most frequently notified diseases were sexually transmissible infections (69,459 notifications, 43% of total notifications), vaccine preventable diseases (34,225 notifications, 21% of total notifications) and gastrointestinal diseases (27,308 notifications, 17% of total notifications). There were 18,207 notifications of bloodborne diseases; 8,876 notifications of vectorborne diseases; 1,796 notifications of other bacterial infections; 633 notifications of zoonoses and 4 notifications of quarantinable diseases.

Tuberculosis notifications in Australia, 2007.

The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System received 1,135 tuberculosis (TB) notifications in 2007, of which 1,086 were new cases and 48 were relapsed cases. The incidence of TB in Australia in 2007 was 5.4 cases per 100,000 population, similar to rates since 1986. In 2007, 86.4% of cases occurred in the overseas-born population. The incidence in the Indigenous Australian population was 6.6 cases per 100,000 population. By contrast, the incidence of TB in the non-Indigenous population was 0.9 cases per 100,000 population. Household or other close contact with TB or past residence in a high risk country were the most commonly reported risk factors for TB infection. In 2007, 31 cases of TB were reported in health care workers, 29 of which were in health care workers born overseas. There were no reports of TB transmission in Australian health care settings. Outcome data of the 2006 TB cohort indicate that treatment success was attained in more than 95% of cases. As Australia continues to contribute to global TB control it is important to maintain good centralised reporting of TB to identify populations at risk and for early detection of reversal in trends in TB.

TRPing on the lung endothelium: calcium channels that regulate barrier function.

Rises in cytosolic calcium are sufficient to initiate the retraction of endothelial cell borders and to increase macromolecular permeability. Although endothelial cell biologists have recognized the importance of shifts in cytosolic calcium for several decades, only recently have we gained a rudimentary understanding of the membrane calcium channels that change cell shape. Members of the transient receptor potential family (TRP) are chief among the molecular candidates for permeability-coupled calcium channels. Activation of calcium entry through store-operated calcium entry channels, most notably TRPC1 and TRPC4, increases lung endothelial cell permeability, as does activation of calcium entry through the TRPV4 channel. However, TRPC1 and TRPC4 channels appear to influence the lung extraalveolar endothelial barrier most prominently, whereas TRPV4 channels appear to influence the lung capillary endothelial barrier most prominently. Thus, phenotypic heterogeneity in ion channel expression and function exists within the lung endothelium, along the arterial-capillary-venous axis, and is coupled to discrete control of endothelial barrier function.