Senior Research Fellow (currently HOT NORTH Early Career Fellow)
BSc PhD
Dr Janessa Pickering is a research microbiologist with expertise in the molecular diagnostics and host pathogen interactions of upper respiratory tract pathogens that cause disease in children. Her PhD investigated the molecular microbiology of middle ear infection (UWA) and she has since worked in several postdoctoral roles at the Telethon Kids Institute.
Dr Pickering joined the Skin Health team in 2019 as an WAHTN Early Career Fellow to develop laboratory diagnostics for Strep A. Her research is focussed on the colonisation and infection of Strep A in paediatric populations, and her research intersects with the large cohort and clinical trials occurring in the Skin Health, Australian Strep A Vaccine Initiative and Rheumatic Heart Disease teams.
Dr Pickering completed the Stanford Bio-Design course in 2016 and she maintains an interest in research commercialisation, particularly technologies enabling diagnostic solutions in resource-poor settings.
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Projects
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Publications
September 2023
Searching for Strep A in the clinical environment during a human challenge trial: a sub-study protocol
Streptococcus pyogenes (also known as group A Streptococcus , Strep A) is an obligate human pathogen with significant global morbidity and mortality. Transmission is believed to occur primarily between individuals via respiratory droplets, but knowledge about other potential sources of transmission via aerosols or the environment is limited. Such knowledge is required to design optimal interventions to control transmission, particularly in endemic settings.
Published research Infectious Diseases Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Invasive Streptococcus A Disease Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Strep A Pathogenesis and Diagnostics Strep A & ARF TherapeuticsMay 2023The role of children in transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern within households: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis, as at 30 June 2022
Meta-analyses and single-site studies have established that children are less infectious than adults within a household when positive for ancestral SARS-CoV-2. In addition, children appear less susceptible to infection when exposed to ancestral SARS-CoV-2 within a household. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) has been associated with an increased number of paediatric infections worldwide.
Published research Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention COVID-19 Strep A & ARF TherapeuticsMarch 2023A pilot study to develop assessment tools for Group A Streptococcus surveillance studies
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) causes pharyngitis (sore throat) and impetigo (skin sores) GAS pharyngitis triggers rheumatic fever (RF) with epidemiological evidence supporting that GAS impetigo may also trigger RF in Australian Aboriginal children. Understanding the concurrent burden of these superficial GAS infections is critical to RF prevention. This pilot study aimed to trial tools for concurrent surveillance of sore throats and skins sore for contemporary studies of RF pathogenesis including development of a sore throat checklist for Aboriginal families and pharynx photography.
Published research Skin Infections Aboriginal Health Group A Streptococcal & Rheumatic Heart Disease Subsite: END RHD Invasive Streptococcus A Disease Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Strep A & ARF TherapeuticsSeptember 2022Standardization of Epidemiological Surveillance of Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis
Pharyngitis, more commonly known as sore throat, is caused by viral and/or bacterial infections. Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) is the most common bacterial cause of pharyngitis. Strep A pharyngitis is an acute, self-limiting disease but if undertreated can lead to suppurative complications, nonsuppurative poststreptococcal immune-mediated diseases, and toxigenic presentations.
Published research Infectious Diseases Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Invasive Streptococcus A Disease Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Strep A Pathogenesis and Diagnostics Strep A & ARF Therapeutics Strep A Vaccines Implementation, Epidemiology & New HorizonsSeptember 2022Standardization of Epidemiological Surveillance of Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infections
Invasive group A streptococcal (Strep A) infections occur when Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as beta-hemolytic group A Streptococcus, invades a normally sterile site in the body. This article provides guidelines for establishing surveillance for invasive Strep A infections. The primary objective of invasive Strep A surveillance is to monitor trends in rates of infection and determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with laboratory-confirmed invasive Strep A infection, the age- and sex-specific incidence in the population of a defined geographic area, trends in risk factors, and the mortality rates and rates of nonfatal sequelae caused by invasive Strep A infections.
Published research Infectious Diseases Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Invasive Streptococcus A Disease Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Strep A Pathogenesis and Diagnostics Strep A & ARF Therapeutics Implementation, Epidemiology & New HorizonsSeptember 2022Standardization of Epidemiological Surveillance of Group A Streptococcal Impetigo
Impetigo is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the superficial layer of skin. Impetigo is caused by group A Streptococcus (Strep A) and Staphylococcus aureus, alone or in combination, with the former predominating in many tropical climates. Strep A impetigo occurs mainly in early childhood, and the burden varies worldwide. It is an acute, self-limited disease, but many children experience frequent recurrences that make it a chronic illness in some endemic settings.
Published research Skin Infections Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Subsite: END RHD Invasive Streptococcus A Disease Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Strep A Pathogenesis and Diagnostics Strep A & ARF TherapeuticsNovember 2022Host-dependent resistance of Group A Streptococcus to sulfamethoxazole mediated by a horizontally-acquired reduced folate transporter
Described antimicrobial resistance mechanisms enable bacteria to avoid the direct effects of antibiotics and can be monitored by in vitro susceptibility testing and genetic methods. Here we describe a mechanism of sulfamethoxazole resistance that requires a host metabolite for activity.
Published research Children's Lung Health Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Subsite: END RHD Invasive Streptococcus A Disease Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention BREATH Strep A Pathogenesis and DiagnosticsAugust 2022Roadmap to incorporating group A Streptococcus molecular point-of-care testing for remote Australia: a key activity to eliminate rheumatic heart disease
Published research Rheumatic Heart Disease Skin Infections Aboriginal Health Group A Streptococcal & Rheumatic Heart Disease Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Strep A Pathogenesis and DiagnosticsMarch 2022Missing Piece Study protocol: Prospective surveillance to determine the epidemiology of group A streptococcal pharyngitis and impetigo in remote Western Australia
Group A β-haemolytic Streptococcus (GAS), a Gram-positive bacterium, causes skin, mucosal and systemic infections. Repeated GAS infections can lead to autoimmune diseases acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia have the highest rates of ARF and RHD in the world.
Published research Skin Infections Infectious Diseases Group A Streptococcal & Rheumatic Heart Disease Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Invasive Streptococcus A Disease Healthy Skin and ARF PreventionAugust 2021Lack of effectiveness of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination against pneumococcal carriage density in Papua New Guinean infants
Papua New Guinea (PNG) introduced the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 2014, with administration at 1, 2, and 3 months of age. PCV13 has reduced or eliminated carriage of vaccine types in populations with low pneumococcal carriage prevalence, carriage density and serotype diversity.
Published research Immunisation Infectious Diseases Ear Health Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Vaccine Trials Group Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Subsite: END RHDJune 2021A Meta-analysis on the Role of Children in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Household Transmission Clusters
The role of children in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains highly controversial. To address this issue, we performed a meta-analysis of the published literature on household SARS-CoV-2 transmission clusters (n = 213 from 12 countries). Only 8 (3.8%) transmission clusters were identified as having a pediatric index case.
Published research Influenza Infectious Diseases Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Subsite: END RHD Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention COVID-19December 2020Performance and Practicality of a Rapid Molecular Test for the Diagnosis of Strep A Pharyngitis in a Remote Australian Setting
Over 5 days, 120 schoolchildren from two schools in the remote Kimberley region of Australia were screened for Strep A pharyngitis. Molecular point-of-care testing identified Strep A pharyngitis in 13/18 (72.2%) symptomatic children. The portability and feasibility of molecular point-of-care testing was highly practical for remote settings.
Published research Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Invasive Streptococcus A DiseaseMarch 2020Nasal delivery of a commensal Pasteurellaceae species inhibits nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae colonisation and delays onset of otitis media in mice
We have demonstrated that a single dose of a closely related commensal can delay onset of NTHi otitis media in vivo
Published research Ear Infections Infectious Diseases Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Vaccine Trials Group Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention -
Education and Qualifications
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Awards and Honours
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Key collaborations