Mrs Susie Roczo-Farkas
Research Assistant
Infection and Immunity Theme
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
susie.roczofarkas@mcri.edu.au
Other opportunities
The Australian Rotavirus Surveillance Program relies heavily on collaborating pathology laboratories and hospitals, which routinely test faecal specimens for rotavirus. We are continuously looking to expand this network, so that we could have greater access to rotavirus positive samples, thereby …creating a better snapshot of rotavirus diversity and distribution in Australia. Our focus is on children under 5 years of age, hospitalised with acute gastroenteritis. However, we do not restrict age of patient for our surveillance, indeed we are looking to expand the surveillance to assess rotavirus impact in adults and the elderly..
Our collaborators are asked to store rotavirus positive samples, which we then organise to have sent to our laboratory at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, in Melbourne, Victoria. If you would like to help our group by sending rotavirus positive stool specimens, please contact us. Your help is much appreciated.
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Our collaborators are asked to store rotavirus positive samples, which we then organise to have sent to our laboratory at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, in Melbourne, Victoria. If you would like to help our group by sending rotavirus positive stool specimens, please contact us. Your help is much appreciated.
Latest News
Australian Rotavirus Surveillance Program Annual Reports:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-pubs-annlrpt-rotavar.htm
21 year review of genotypes circulating around Australia pre and post vaccine implementation
https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/218/4/546/5001444
Research Activities
Australian Rotavirus Surveillance ProgramEnteric Diseases Group – Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Susie Roczo-Farkas coordinates the Australian Rotavirus Surveillance Program (ARSP), which conducts a nationwide study on the rotavirus types circulating in children around Australia. This program undertakes molecular epidemiological studies on the rotavirus strains prevalent in Australia, which allows us to track seasonal changes in rotavirus strains causing severe disease. In addition, the laboratory is also the WHO regional rotavirus reference laboratory and a WHO Collaborating Centre, and is involved with a range of molecular epidemiological studies to characterise the wildtype rotavirus strain population in several countries throughout the Western Pacific Region.
The introduction and implementation of the national rotavirus vaccine program across Australia will increase the selective pressures on circulating wildtype strains, and may result in the emergence of new rotavirus strains. If this happens, these strains will likely impact vaccination programs. Understanding how vaccine introduction has impacted the circulating rotavirus population by altering the prevalence of common genotypes, selection of antigenic variants and emergence of new or novel types causing disease is the focus of the group’s research. The genetic and biological mechanisms underlying vaccine escape will be studied, providing critical information about the circulating rotavirus population that will help maintain a successful ongoing rotavirus vaccine program. The ARSP have published surveillance data as annual reports in CDI since 1999.
Techniques/Expertise
- Epidemiology
- Rotavirus National Surveillance
- Molecular techniques, primarily RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing for genotyping
