Media release: Wednesday 19 August 2026
Heart Foundation backed discovery could help future efforts to prevent rheumatic heart disease
The Heart Foundation has welcomed new research that sheds light on how natural immunity to streptococcus A (Strep A) develops, a finding that could help prevent rheumatic heart disease (RHD).
Published in Nature Communications recently, the research found exposure to Strep A can trigger a protective immune response even when people do not develop symptoms, helping explain how immunity may build over time.
The discovery builds on a broader program of Strep A vaccine research, which was supported by approximately $2.79 million in Heart Foundation funding.
Strep A is a common bacterial infection that can cause sore throats and skin infections. If left untreated, Strep A can lead to serious complications, including acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease (RHD).
RHD remains a significant health issue in Australia and disproportionately affects First Nations people, particularly those living in regional and remote communities. More than 90 per cent of acute rheumatic fever diagnoses occur in First Nations people*.
Heart Foundation Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, Professor Derek Chew, said the findings help to answer a longstanding question about how immunity to Strep A develops and could support future efforts to prevent rheumatic fever and RHD. "This research highlights why continued investment in medical research is so important," Prof Chew said.
"The Heart Foundation is proud to have supported the broader research program through nearly $2.8 million in funding, helping some of the nation's leading minds tackle one of the longstanding questions in infectious disease and heart health, globally."
The research team, led by Griffith University in collaboration with Murdoch Children's Research Institute, included Heart Foundation-supported researchers Professor Michael Good AO, Associate Professor Manisha Pandey and Dr Ailin Lepletier.
The findings build on a broader program of Strep A vaccine and prevention research led by Prof Good and supported through the Heart Foundation's 2017 Stroke Prevention Grant.
Senior co-authors from Griffith University, Prof Good and Associate Prof Pandey, said they were grateful for the Heart Foundation funding that made the research possible.
"Preventing recurrent Strep A infections is essential to reducing the risk of RHD. Our findings highlight the urgent and unmet need for a Strep A vaccine and strengthen the rationale for continued investment in vaccine development," Associate Prof Pandey said.
Prof Good added, "We sincerely thank the Heart Foundation for its longstanding and generous support, which has been vital to advancing our Strep A vaccine research."
Study first author, Dr Lepletier, acknowledged Heart Foundation donors for helping make research into new ways to prevent RHD possible.
"You are helping us develop new strategies for ending RHD in Australia - a preventable condition that still damages young hearts," Dr Lepletier said.
"The Heart Foundation's support is enabling a unique strategy that combines vaccines to prevent Strep A infections with immunotherapies to stop rheumatic fever from progressing to RHD.
"Your support not only gives hope to people affected by this devastating disease, it also allows me to keep pushing forward as a researcher, working to turn discoveries into life-saving therapies. Thank you for being part of this mission."
The paper, Subclinical exposure to Streptococcus pyogenes drives the development of long-lived homologous immunity, is published in Nature Communications.
Read the paper: Subclinical exposure to Streptococcus pyogenes drives the development of long-lived homologous immunity | Nature Communications
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