News - Menzies

MEDIA RELEASE | Unmasking melioidosis: collaborative research needed to understand the spread of the bacteria

Date

June 16, 2026 - 08:45am

What do hurricanes, military equipment, aromatherapy oil and a pet raccoon have in common? According to a new review led by Menzies, all have been linked with cases of melioidosis, a potentially fatal disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, as part of tracking the global spread of the disease.
Murray Valley encephalitis can be fatal. With no vaccine, here’s how to stay safe

Date

May 28, 2026 - 09:00am

Health authorities in the Northern Territory have issued warnings for residents and visitors to avoid mosquito bites after two people from Alice Springs died from Murray Valley encephalitis.
MEDIA RELEASE | Menzies launches campaign to bring world class genomic science to the NT

Date

May 19, 2026 - 09:00am

Menzies has launched an End of Financial Year campaign to raise $100,000 to bring next generation genomic sequencing technology to the NT. This will transform how researchers’ study, track, and understand infectious diseases across northern Australia.
Febrile Podcast #94 - Of Microbes and Mud

Date

March 04, 2024 - 12:00pm

Checkout Professor Bart Currie in this podcast discussing a melioidosis case study, with clinicians Dr Catherine Marshall and Dr Genevieve Martin.
MEDIA RELEASE | Menzies researchers in the top 2 per cent

Date

October 18, 2022 - 16:03pm

Menzies School of Health Research is celebrating the work of its researchers who have been ranked amongst the world’s top scientists.
Sunday Territorian | Medical school critical for NT

Date

February 13, 2022 - 08:00am

AS a local born and bred Aboriginal Territorian, having worked in both levels of government and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and for the past 16 years as the chief executive for the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT), I understand and have actively promoted the need to grow our own local medical workforce.
NT News | School's strategic board appointed

Date

February 09, 2022 - 08:00am

Leading medical expert Len Notaras has been appointed the Chairman of the Charles Darwin University Menzies School of Medicine strategic board.
CDU Newsroom | New Board appointed to CDU Menzies School of Medicine

Date

February 08, 2022 - 08:00am

Charles Darwin University (CDU) has announced a new Strategic Board for the CDU Menzies School of Medicine.
New York Times Post | Australians told not to go outside to avoid deadly bacteria

Date

January 24, 2022 - 08:50am

Northern Territory residents have been warned not to go outside or they could be killed by an airborne bacteria.
Sunday Territorian | Deadly bacteria cases surge

Date

January 23, 2022 - 08:00am

Cases of the fatal Nightcliff Gardener's Disease, or melioidosis, have blown past predictions so far this wet season.
Nine News | Melioidosis

Date

January 21, 2022 - 18:00pm
Researchers at CDU some of the most influential in their fields

Date

December 03, 2021 - 10:00am

According to a Stanford University study, there were 22 academics from CDU and Menzies School of Health research who ranked in the top two per cent of researchers referenced in their respected disciplines for 2020.
NMRC Researchers Utilize a Unique Study Platform to Examine Multiple Diseases in Australia

Date

September 23, 2021 - 09:17am

Researchers from the United States Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) works in collaboration with Professor Bart Currie from Menzies School of Health Research, one of the world's foremost authorities on melioidosis.
Q&A: What You Need to Know About Melioidosis

Date

August 16, 2021 - 10:56am

CDC investigators continue to search for the source of the bacteria that caused four infections—two of them lethal—in four different states. The Scientist spoke with melioidosis expert Bart Currie about the disease.
NT News | Melioidosis death rates drop to 6%

Date

July 26, 2021 - 11:54am

THE mortality rate for melioidosis, a soil dwelling disease, has dropped in the last 30 years, while the number of diagnosed cases has increased.
Nine News Darwin: Fewer Deaths From Melioidosis

Date

July 23, 2021 - 18:00pm
ABC Online | Thirty-year Menzies melioidosis study finds cases are rising but mortality has tumbled

Date

July 23, 2021 - 08:00am

Lead author Bart Currie from the Menzies School of Health Research said the mortality rate for people diagnosed with melioidosis plummeted over the lifetime of the study.
Fewer deaths from melioidosis direct result of 30-year study

Date

July 23, 2021 - 08:00am

The number of deaths /mortality rate in Darwin from an infectious disease found mostly in the tropics, melioidosis, has decreased from 31 to six per cent in the last 30 years a new paper published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal has found.
9 News Darwin | Melioidosis warning

Date

January 18, 2021 - 18:15pm

The Top End is facing an increased threat to a deadly disease that claimed a life in the Territory last year. As Zarisha Bradley reports medical experts are warning of the rising risk after recent monsoonal weather.
CDU academics named among world’s most influential

Date

November 26, 2020 - 10:41am

Menzies School of Health Research Professor Bart Currie, Professor Anne Chang AM, Professor Ric Price, Associate Professor Steven Tong, Professor Nicholas Anstey, Professor Joshua Davis, Professor Alan Cass, Professor Peter Morris and Professor Amanda Leach
ABC News | Melioidosis story

Date

October 17, 2020 - 19:00pm

Featuring Menzies' melioidosis experts, Dr Audrey Rachlin and Prof Bart Currie.
Irukandji concerns heating up

Date

October 02, 2020 - 10:57am

The prevalence of highly venomous and potentially deadly box jellyfish is set to increase in Territory coastal waters as temperatures and humidity rise.
HOT NORTH Impact Report

Date

September 28, 2020 - 08:30am

Now available | The report presents 12 case studies showing the impacts from the first three years of the HOT NORTH program.
An open letter from 119 scientists and researchers to The Lancet

Date

May 30, 2020 - 12:00pm

Signed by clinicians, medical researchers, statisticians, and ethicists from across the world, follows the publication of a paper on using hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19.
Pill shows promise in eradication of scabies

Date

January 30, 2020 - 16:24pm

Researchers are making progress in developing a single tablet to eliminate scabies. It is being trialed in the Northern Territory by a team from Menzies.
Be snake wise!

Date

October 15, 2019 - 08:30am

Royal Darwin Hospital infectious diseases physician and snake expert Professor Bart Currie said the RDH emergency department receives on average one to two snakebite patients per week at this time of year.
Tropical disease kills crocodiles in NT

Date

October 01, 2019 - 16:30pm

A deadly tropical disease that affects humans was responsible for killing two crocodiles near Darwin, flipping previously held beliefs the predators were highly resistant to infection.
ABC Online | Deadly bacteria killed two crocodiles in northern Australia, despite species being highly resistant

Date

October 01, 2019 - 14:00pm

Crocodiles may not be as highly resistant to infections as previously thought, as a newly released study shows a deadly bacterium was responsible for killing two saltwater crocs in the Top End.
Deadly bacteria killed two crocodiles in northern Australia

Date

October 01, 2019 - 14:00pm

The research, from Menzies School of Health Research was published in the Microbial Genomics journal.
Media Release | Crocodile killing bacteria identified by Top End researchers

Date

October 01, 2019 - 09:30am

A ground-breaking study by a north Australian research team which identified a deadly bacterium responsible for killing saltwater crocodiles at a Top End Wildlife Park has recently been published in the journal, Microbial Genomics.
Killer disease strikes crocs

Date

October 01, 2019 - 02:00am

Melioidosis is killing Territory crocodiles, according to a paper written by researchers at the Menzies School of Health Research.
Media Alert | Crocodile killing bacteria identified by Top End researchers

Date

September 30, 2019 - 12:00pm

A north Australian research team has identified a deadly bacterium responsible for killing saltwater crocodiles at a Top End Wildlife Park.
Source water key to bacterial water safety in remote Northern Australia

Date

September 06, 2019 - 04:00am

In the new work, Mirjam Kaestli of Charles Darwin University, Australia and colleagues including Menzies School of Health Research sampled water and biofilms from three remote Indigenous communities in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Media Release | Source water holds key to bacterial water safety in remote North

Date

September 06, 2019 - 02:00am

CDU Research Fellow Mirjam Kaestli and colleagues including Menzies School of Health Research sampled water and biofilms from three remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.
Skin disease a 'national crisis'

Date

August 14, 2019 - 16:51pm

NT News report on the HOT NORTH One Disease Skin Symposium attend by Australia's first Indigenous dermatologist Larrakia woman Dr Dana Slape
First Aboriginal Australian Dermatologist to Attend Skin Health Symposium in Darwin

Date

August 13, 2019 - 10:00am

This week Larrakia woman, Dr Dana Slape, Australia's first Aboriginal dermatologist, is back home to country to attend a Skin Health Symposium
A wet cough for four weeks means it’s time to get it checked out

Date

July 26, 2019 - 06:00am

Dr André Schultz and Ms Pamela Laird receive funding from the NHMRC and Hot North grant funding through Menzies School of Health Research.
Tropical health HOT topic at forum

Date

July 12, 2019 - 14:00pm

The health of people living in the North West was discussed at a key forum in Port Hedland recently involving national and local experts in the field.
Media Release | HOT NORTH Katherine Health Translation Workshop 14-15 March 2019

Date

March 11, 2019 - 14:23pm

HOT NORTH Katherine Health Translation Workshop 14-15 March 2019
Youth leaders learn about health hurdles of NT

Date

February 19, 2019 - 06:00am

Th Sun Newspapers | The Ship for World Youth Leaders (SWY) program, have visited the Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies)
Cases of deadly dirt disease melioidosis will increase, expert warns

Date

February 13, 2019 - 11:00am

Professor Bart Currie from the Menzies School of Health Research said he expected the melioidosis bacteria would increase in tropical regions.
International youth leaders sail into Menzies School of Health Research

Date

February 09, 2019 - 09:00am

The Ship for World Youth Leaders (SWY) program, have visited the Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) to learn about some of the key public health challenges in the region.
NMRC Strives to Reduce Risk of Melioidosis Among Deployed Sailors and Marines

Date

September 15, 2018 - 01:30am

Dr. Kevin Schully, contractor and chief science officer with Naval Medical Research Center’s (NMRC) Austere environments Consortium for Enhanced Sepsis Outcomes Department (ACESO) recently retuned stateside after screening Sailors and Marines deployed to Darwin, Australia, who are at risk of developing melioidosis.
HOT NORTH Thursday Island Teaching Workshop

Date

July 24, 2018 - 13:34pm

Health professionals from around Queensland have gathered on Thursday Island for the much-anticipated HOT NORTH regional teaching workshop on 24-25 July.
Why aren't there stinger nets so people can swim at Darwin beaches?

Date

June 26, 2018 - 08:30am

Professor Bart Currie contributes to the "Curious Darwin" story.
Territory sporting great, tough battle with melioidosis | NT News

Date

June 22, 2018 - 01:00am

Former Essendon great Michael Long credits Professor Bart Currie for his diagnosis and treatment for melioidosis.
HOT NORTH Visiting Fellow, Arca Testamenti Travels to Darwin

Date

June 04, 2018 - 09:01am

HSP recently partnered with the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, Australia to support a HOT NORTH Visiting Fellowship for an exceptional graduate student from Indonesia’s Bogor Agricultural University.
NT News | HOT NORTH ASM

Date

May 23, 2018 - 02:00am

NT News report on the HOT NORTH Annual Scientifiv Symposium.
HOT NORTH researchers gather in Darwin

Date

May 22, 2018 - 14:30pm

The HOT NORTH research initiative will be holding its inaugural Annual Scientific Symposium at Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) in Darwin, from 24 to 25 May, 2018.
Pain free golden staph treatment cleared for use in remote communities

Date

May 03, 2018 - 11:31am

A northern Australian research team has provided reassuring support for the continued use of an oral treatment option for patients with skin infections, finding that there has been inaccurate reporting of resistance to the recommended antibiotic.
National Healthy Skin Guideline

Date

May 02, 2018 - 11:36am
Katherine doctors push for more public housing

Date

February 21, 2018 - 14:00pm

Katherine Times reports on the HOT NORTH Teaching Workshop.
HOT NORTH Katherine Teaching Workshop 20-21 February

Date

February 19, 2018 - 13:39pm

HOT NORTH, a four-year National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded research program led by Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies), is hosting a teaching workshop in Katherine, Northern Territory from 20-21 February 2018.
Territory FM | Mornings with Mel Little. Professor Bart Currie

Date

February 07, 2018 - 10:30am

ASK AN EXPERT: Wednesday the 7th of February 2018 Professor Bart Currie, HOT NORTH Program.
HOT NORTH 2018 funding awards released: Building the health research workforce in northern Australia

Date

January 29, 2018 - 09:30am

A total of 13 new health research projects have been announced as part of HOT NORTH, a four-year National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded program led by Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies).
Inspire magazine | HOT NORTH

Date

January 11, 2018 - 11:56am

HOT NORTH Director, Menzies’s Professor Bart Currie envisages that, “by building the capacity of health professionals and scientists in northern Australia, we’re working towards improvements in health outcomes not only for Australia, but also the Asia-Pacific region.
Developing Northern Australia 2017 Implementation Report

Date

November 21, 2017 - 15:59pm

Page 20 - Case Study | The Australian Government funded HOT NORTH project has hit the ground running in 2017, and is building north Australia’s expertise and capacity in tropical medicine through research projects that will transfer new knowledge to communities.
MRSA shifting from hospitals to community

Date

October 30, 2017 - 09:30am

MJA InSight Issue 42 / 30 October 2017 - The epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has changed, and efforts to control transmission must also shift to include community settings as well as more traditional hospital surveillance and control programs, according to the authors of research published in the MJA.
HOT NORTH: A community of excellence in tropical medicine

Date

October 16, 2017 - 09:00am

The Australian Government funded HOT NORTH project has hit the ground running in 2017, and is building north Australia’s expertise and capacity in tropical medicine through research projects that will transfer new knowledge to communities.
Melioidosis study improves patient outcomes

Date

July 31, 2017 - 16:18pm

Melioidosis study improves patient outcomes Our research continued to put Menzies at the centre of better melioidosis patient outcomes through improved diagnosis and treatment. In August 2016, the Menzies melioidosis team contributed to 17 abstracts at...
Territory Q features HOT NORTH

Date

July 04, 2017 - 15:21pm

Read about our HOT NORTH collaboration in the latest Territory Q Magazine.
Australian native animals spreading scrub typhus mite prompt warning

Date

May 13, 2017 - 07:00am

Scrub typhus is just one of many tropical diseases in the NT that are not so well known down south.
Melioidosis: More cases of potentially fatal bacteria from NT dirt emerge

Date

April 10, 2017 - 09:53am

More people are being infected by a potentially fatal bacterium in the Northern Territory, and health experts suspect building works could have something to do with the rise in cases.
HOT NORTH Fellowships to improve health outcomes in the tropics

Date

March 20, 2017 - 13:28pm

Five post-doctoral health professionals have been awarded Fellowships to help close critical gaps in health outcomes in northern Australia and the Asia-Pacific region as part of the unique collaborative program Improving Health Outcomes in the Tropical North (HOT NORTH), led by the Darwin-based Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies).
Menzies helps track the travels of the deadly melioidosis bacteria

Date

March 06, 2017 - 09:00am

An international team of experts has confirmed the Australian origins of the bacterium (Burkholderia pseudomallei) which causes the potentially fatal infectious disease melioidosis and tracked its global dissemination.
Melioidosis: The Most Neglected Tropical Disease

Date

February 09, 2017 - 09:32am

Three sessions at the American Society for Microbiology 2017 Biothreats conference covered specific emerging diseases. Two of these, Zika and Ebola, have received a lot of media coverage (including on this blog), but the third disease, melioidosis, isn’t frequently found in newspaper headlines.
Funding boost to tackle health challenges in northern Australia

Date

November 21, 2016 - 08:00am

Work will begin to help close critical gaps in healthcare across northern Australia as the result of a $6m grant awarded today to Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
A global picture of melioidosis

Date

January 21, 2016 - 15:22pm

The bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei is found in soil and water and causes the disease melioidosis in humans and animals. It was upgraded to a Tier 1 Select Agent by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012 — the designation given to pathogens considered of highest risk.
Trial results hold hope for scabies prevention

Date

December 14, 2015 - 08:00am

A NEW trial that reduced scabies outbreaks by 94 per cent in one year could hold the key to its prevention in indigenous communities in the Territory.
AUSTRALIAN RESEARCHERS PLAY VITAL ROLE IN ADDRESSING THE GLOBAL SCABIES CRISIS

Date

December 10, 2015 - 08:20am

In a world-first study, treatment of a whole community with oral ivermectin has been shown to virtually eliminate scabies, providing new hope in the fight to control this debilitating disease.
Menzies melioidosis project recognised among Australia's best

Date

November 04, 2013 - 09:00am

A Menzies project has been recognised amongst the nation’s premier research projects by Australia’s peak body for health and medical research.
ABC Catalyst: Melioidosis feature

Date

November 01, 2012 - 12:00pm

Life in northern Australia is full of spectacular surprises and natural hazards, some more obvious than others.
National boost for new Indigenous and tropical health research

Date

October 19, 2012 - 12:00pm

The Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) has been awarded federal funding for 12 competitive grants and fellowships to help improve outcomes for disadvantaged populations in Australia and the Asia- Pacific region.
The melioidosis files

Date

August 06, 2012 - 00:00am

A potentially fatal bacterial disease, lurking in soil.

School of Health Research

Quick Links

Main Navigation