ABSTRACTModern savanna fire management is based on climatic season and fire frequency. However, the different biogeographic origins of savannas across the world influence their ecosystem functioning, making them floristically highly dissimilar. We examine the effect of fire frequency on the composition of vegetation of different biogeographic origins, to understand how frequently an ecosystem can be subject to fire but still retain its evolutionary diversity. We surveyed savanna subject to a long‐term fire‐frequency experiment in Darwin, Australia, and analysed vegetation changes according to species' biogeographic origin as either Sunda (Southeast Asia) or Sahul (ancient Australia and New Guinea). We found dramatic structural and biogeographic change in less than 20 years of frequent burning. Vegetation transformed from dry tropical woodlands into savannas, with the lens of biogeographic origin revealing deeper trends. Plots subject to fire every 1–3 years caused a shift from mostly Sahul‐origin, multi‐strata vegetation into simple tree‐grass systems dominated by Sunda‐origin Andropogoneae annual grasses, with ramifications for all Sahul‐origin taxa. Despite the common physiognomy of the world's savannas, no single fire‐frequency regime suits all—local ecosystem composition and dynamics need to underpin all prescribed burning regimes. In northern Australia, fire management that ultimately promotes the shift to Sunda‐origin grasses threatens the continued existence of ancient Sahul‐origin plants and animals which had not evolved with grass‐fire cycles. We call for inclusion of species origin in analyses of ecosystems wherever modern and ancient elements cohabit. In a policy and management sense, the promotion of annual grasses by frequent fire also affects the management of savannas.

ABSTRACT This article addresses fracking and subsurface Indigenous cultural heritage protection in northern Australia. Drawing on 1260 public submissions made to the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory, we think through the implications of the Inquiry’s recommendation that the Aboriginal Sacred Sites (Northern Territory) Act be amended to ensure all subsurface features of Aboriginal sacred sites are protected from future fracking activities. We pay particular attention to the ways in which the Inquiry sought to make cultural alterity legible within the confines of the political order. The subsurface takes us literally and figuratively into unchartered territory, bringing a sense of incommensurability to the legislative delineation of chthonic imaginaries and their oneiric and rhizomatic qualities. While the Indigenous expression ‘this thing moves underground’ captures the ambiguous, dynamic and relatively diffuse components of Indigenous chthonic imaginaries in northern Australia, the protection of circumscribed sacred sites may also have an atrophying effect that impacts this very subsurface movement.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a complex global health threat, contributing to an estimated 4.95 million deaths worldwide with disproportionate impacts across regions. In Australia, the burden varies geographically with up to 50% of infections resistant to antibiotics in northern Australia. This qualitative study engaged stakeholders across One Health sectors to explore the dynamics influencing AMR in the Northern Territory. Thirty-five participants across human, animal, environmental and cross-sectoral systems were consulted through interviews and focus groups. Thematic analysis informed the development of a causal loop diagram, grounded in systems thinking, to illustrate complex interactions among factors driving AMR. This paper focuses on key factors and feedback loops influencing AMR in human health. The causal loop diagram revealed dynamic, interconnected factors driving AMR through reinforcing and balancing feedback loops. Key drivers included antibiotic prescribing and use across human and animal health, as well as antimicrobial residues in the environment. Crucially, broader structural determinants, such as geographical isolation, health system limitations and social inequities, also shaped AMR dynamics. Consequently, reducing antibiotic use alone is unlikely to be sufficient to control AMR. While antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention and control remain critical, additional leverage points for intervention were identified. These include culturally safe care, healthcare workforce training and retention, improved AMR awareness among professionals and communities, and investment in upstream determinants of health, such as functional housing and access to essential infrastructure. In regions with a high infectious disease burden, addressing AMR requires a shift from reactive, clinical models to proactive, community-based strategies. Given its systemic complexity, AMR and similar health challenges cannot be addressed by health systems alone or through siloed interventions. Coordinated, multi-sectoral and systems-informed approaches are essential to achieve sustainable impact.

Volatile substance abuse (VSA) continues to cause preventable deaths worldwide. In Australia, petrol sniffing has historically been the main form of misuse in remote Indigenous communities. However, coronial and surveillance data suggest an increasing role of gas fuels and aerosol propellants. Twenty-five VSA-related deaths reported to the Northern Territory (NT) coroner over a 21-year period (2002-2022) were reviewed. In the 22 cases where acute volatile substance inhalation was the direct cause of death, the decedents were all male, and predominantly young Aboriginal individuals aged between 12 and 29 years. Furthermore, petrol vapor inhalation was responsible for most fatalities up to 2018, after which no further petrol sniffing-related deaths occurred. Deaths that occurred after 2018 were associated with the use of propane or butane from aerosol cans, such as those used for deodorants. A public health initiative that resulted from this was the keeping of aerosol deodorants in supermarkets within locked cabinets. In conclusion, public health interventions, such as the introduction of Opal fuel in remote communities in the NT, have been effective, with a sharp decrease in petrol sniffing-related fatalities. However, this seemed to have led to a shift towards the use of other inhalants, most commonly butane and/or propane inhaled from aerosol canisters. Forensic practitioners should be alert to non-petrol volatiles, and public health strategies need to broaden beyond petrol substitution to include regulatory and community-level measures addressing gas fuels and aerosols.

ABSTRACT This paper contextualises inhumation and commemoration practices in the short-lived British military settlement of Fort Dundas (Punata) on Melville Island (Yermalner) in remote northern Australia during the 1820s. Death significantly impacted colonial life and traces of inhumation and commemoration practices resonate to the present. Settlers conveyed cultural meaning, ownership, and social status through the inground interment of bodies, employing funerary practices imported from Britain – and filtered through new laws and conventions established in emerging New South Wales society. The isolated burials on this remote island thus reveal much about societal values, intercultural interactions, and spatial approaches to death in the early nineteenth century. We examine early formal colonial sepulchral practices at Fort Dundas between 1824 and 1829, alongside ongoing care by Indigenous peoples, to highlight the intercultural and transient nature of sepulchral traditions. In doing so, we show that an examination of the architectural and landscape traces of colonial burials in remote settlements can reveal much about the cultural meaning and significance of human life and death. Aboriginal people’s respect for the site continues, so where tangible colonial traces have mostly been lost, Aboriginal communities have overlaid a continuum of remembrance and have inscribed new post-colonial hybrid meanings.

Bloodstream infection is a time-critical diagnosis; however, the vast geographic distances in rural and remote locations lead to prolonged specimen transport times, which can impact the timeliness and quality of results. In this retrospective observational study, we evaluated the performance and timeliness of the BIOFIRE FilmArray Blood Culture Identification 2 (BCID2) nucleic acid amplification test conducted on positive blood culture broth fluid in two very remote hospital laboratories in the Northern Territory, Australia, and compared the results to conventional testing done in central laboratories in the laboratory network. We reviewed 343 blood cultures, from which 366 organisms were identified, collected between January 2021 and August 2024. In 207/228 (90.8%) blood cultures with at least one pathogen, the clinically significant organism(s) were detected by BCID2. Concordance between BCID2 and conventional identification methods for organisms on the BCID2 panel was 98.3% (95% confidence interval 96.1%-99.4%). Seventy-four organisms isolated had no BCID2 target; of these, 21 were pathogens, 15 of which were Burkholderia pseudomallei. A total of 126 organisms were considered contaminants; 71 (56%) of these were detected by BCID2. Importantly, BCID2 detections preceded conventional identification results by a median of 2.8 days (interquartile range 2.0-3.1 days). The BCID2 panel performed well in the hands of general scientists and substantially improved the timeliness of bloodstream pathogen identification in our setting. The need for additional targets, including B. pseudomallei and common contaminants, was identified.IMPORTANCEBloodstream infection is a life-threatening condition requiring urgent treatment, and blood cultures are the mainstay of diagnosis. Timely incubation and processing of blood cultures maximize yield and clinical utility; however, prolonged specimen transport times in rural areas can impact the quality of results. We investigated the performance and timeliness of a rapid multiplex nucleic acid amplification test (the Blood Culture Identification 2 [BCID2] panel) for detection of bacteria and yeasts in positive blood culture broth fluid in two small remote Australian hospital laboratories. Formal organism identification and susceptibility testing were subsequently conducted in larger, central laboratories. We found that the BCID2 panel detected the clinically significant organism(s) in 90.8% of blood cultures with at least one pathogen, with 98.3% concordance between BCID2 and conventional identification methods for organisms on the panel. BCID2 detections preceded conventional identification by a median of 2.8 days. The assay substantially improved the timeliness of bloodstream pathogen identification in the two remote regions.

Anthropogenic ocean warming affects ecosystem functioning but is not necessarily the primary climate driver regulating tropical seas. Tropical semi-enclosed marine ecosystems are poorly understood, geographically distinct, and influenced by compounding impacts from global warming, cyclones, monsoons, freshwater influx, and massive sea-level and circulation variability. We unify climate risk understanding of these large-scale integrated ocean-atmosphere-biological systems, showing that compound climate events expose resident species to larger, prolonged fluctuations, causing reconfigured spatial patterns and lack of sustained hydrological connectivity. We attribute changes in species' abundance in these systems to complex and cumulative combinations of extreme temperatures, exposure, turbidity, and hydrologic connections. We describe evidence of such climate-induced physical and biological regime shifts in tropical marine ecosystems in northern Australia and identify implications for other systems.

BackgroundMelioidosis is caused by infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei. Most cases present acutely however a minority have chronic symptoms. We aimed to define the clinical epidemiology of chronic melioidosis.MethodCases of melioidosis with symptoms for ≥2 months in the Australian Northern Territory from 1989 to 2023 were described and compared to cases with symptoms for <2 months.ResultsAmong the 126 (9.4%) chronic melioidosis cases, the most common presentations were pneumonia (38.9%) and skin and soft tissue infections (32.5%). In those with primary pneumonia, neoplasia was a differential diagnosis in 25.5% and tuberculosis in 32.4% of chest radiography reports. Patients with chronic compared to acute melioidosis were significantly more likely to have cutaneous disease (32.5% vs 10.4%, P < .001) and less likely to have pneumonia (38.9% vs 53.6%, P = .002), have positive blood cultures (14.3% vs 59.1%, P < .001), have more than one infective focus (13.5% vs 22.5%, P = .019), or die from their initial melioidosis episode (2.4% vs 11.1%, P = .003). Those with chronic presentations were less likely to be diagnosed in the wet season (55.6% vs 83.9%, P < .001), be First Nations Australians (35.7% vs 54.8%, P < .001), or have clinical risk factors for melioidosis including diabetes mellitus (32.5% vs 48.0%, P < .001), chronic kidney disease (6.4% vs 12.4%, P = .046), and hazardous alcohol use (27.0% vs 40.3%, P = .003). Serology by indirect hemagglutination assay was positive at diagnosis in 87.0% of chronic presentations compared to 48.5% of acute cases.ConclusionsPatients with chronic melioidosis have fewer risk factors for melioidosis, lower disease severity, higher serology titers, and lower mortality than patients with acute melioidosis.

ABSTRACTEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as a powerful tool to support the conservation of threatened species. The sawfishes are one of the most imperiled vertebrate groups, with all five species classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Owing to their toothy rostra, sawfishes are easily entangled in a wide range of fishing gear, with mortalities in fisheries and loss of habitat driving global declines. The Largetooth Sawfish, Pristis pristis, historically had a circumtropical range, but has experienced severe declines in geographic range and abundance. Viable populations are thought to be confined to northern Australia, but a handful of other nations may harbor remnant populations. To identify promising locations where populations may persist, a novel species‐specific Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) assay was designed capable of detecting a single copy of DNA (Limit of Detection 0.07 copies/μL), with in silico and in vitro validation experiments indicating functionality across the species' historical range. Water samples were then collected in 2022 at 99 sites in the Eastern Tropical Pacific from the Gulf of Chiriquí (N = 48) and Darién (N = 18) regions of Panama, and the Chocó region (N = 33) of Colombia, but P. pristis DNA was not detected at any sampling sites. Habitat Suitability Index modeling revealed that sampling sites were located within, or in proximity to, basins with highly suitable habitats for sawfish. Detecting rare species in remote data‐poor regions presents major challenges, and additional spatially and temporally comprehensive eDNA surveys using this novel ddPCR eDNA assay are recommended. These surveys should focus on locations where the presence of P. pristis remains uncertain to identify priority locations for global conservation efforts.

In a rapidly warming climate, heatwaves pose an increasing threat to human health. However, there is limited knowledge of heatwave impacts on health outcomes, or the role of humidity in the tropical and arid climates of Australia's Northern Territory (NT). Using a space‐time‐stratified case‐crossover design and conditional Poisson regression models, we analysed the association between heatwaves and emergency department (ED) presentations from 2001 to 2023, across all six NT public hospitals. Heatwaves were identified using the Excess Heat Factor (EHF) method, with both temperature‐only (heatwaves_T) and temperature‐plus‐humidity, heat‐index (heatwaves_TH) metrics. We undertook sub‐group analyses by sociodemographic characteristics and principal diagnosis. All‐cause ED presentations increased by 4.4% (RR = 1.044, 95%CI 1.018–1.071) for severe/extreme and 1.6% (RR = 1.016, 95%CI 1.002–1.030) for low‐intensity heatwaves_T. For heatwaves_TH, presentations increased by 6.1% (RR = 1.061, 95%CI 1.025–1.098, severe/extreme) and 0.9% (RR = 1.009, 95%CI 0.995–1.024, low‐intensity). Subpopulation increases for severe/extreme heatwaves_T occurred for ages 19–49 years (RR = 1.052; 95%CI 1.018–1.087), visitors (RR = 1.162, 95%CI 1.038–1.301) and skin conditions (RR = 1.116, 95%CI 1.048–1.189). Specific to severe/extreme heatwaves_TH, presentations increased for Aboriginal peoples (RR = 1.059, 95%CI 1.006–1.114), ages 50–64 years (RR = 1.141, 95%CI 1.059–1.230) and cardiovascular conditions (RR = 1.111, 95%CI 1.015–1.216). Comparing heatwave indexes, 57.1% of heatwave_T days were not captured by heatwave_TH, and conversely 49.6% of heatwaves_TH days were not captured by heatwave_T. These findings call for dual heatwave warning systems in the NT, incorporating both EHF temperature and heat‐index, and further humidity‐inclusive studies in varied climates. Preventative interventions should target high‐risk populations, prioritizing resources for severe and extreme heatwaves.

ABSTRACT In Australia-Japan histories, Japanese migrants in Australia have often been treated as distinct from the political and diplomatic relationship between these two nations. As Horikawa acutely identifies, Japanese migrants before 1941 enjoyed a special position with minor concessions under the White Australia Policy due to Japan’s growing international status and sustained diplomatic pressure on Australia. Notably, concessions were granted under the 1904 Japanese Passport Agreement and in the exemption of the pearl shell industry, which almost exclusively benefited Japanese workers. Extending upon the concept of minor concessions, this article inverts the emphasis on Japan’s growing international status to examine the impact and interconnection of northern Australia’s Japanese communities on the concessions and exemptions granted under the White Australia Policy. Drawing on records of Japanese and Australian consular correspondence, newspaper articles, and migration records, this article examines how local Japanese communities formed associations that influenced the establishment of formal diplomatic structures. These structures were essential to gaining – and ensuring the fair application of – concessions under the White Australia Policy, as well as a means of resistance to discrimination. This research emphasises the agency and influence of individual migrants in gaining diplomatic power within Australia’s history of immigration restriction and discrimination.

Income and immunity: The consequences of social security administration reform for childhood infection risk.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (BSIs) cause significant morbidity and mortality. In Australia's Northern Territory (NT), MRSA BSI prevalence is disproportionately high. Vancomycin remains standard therapy despite toxicity and complex monitoring requirements. To evaluate demographics, clinical management and outcomes of patients with MRSA BSI in the NT, with a focus on health inequities. This multi-centre retrospective observational study analysed MRSA BSI episodes in hospitalised adults between 2017 and 2022 at the Royal Darwin and Alice Springs Hospitals. Key data were extracted from electronic medical records. Composite treatment failure was defined as follows: outcome of all-cause 90-day mortality, persistent bacteraemia (>7 days) or 90 day relapse. Of 182 identified episodes, MRSA accounted for 40% of all S. aureus BSIs. First Nations Australians were disproportionately affected, representing 69% of episodes, with an incidence rate 3.3 times higher than non-Indigenous residents. The composite treatment failure rate was 18%, and 90-day mortality was 13%. Age ≥ 50 years was the only independent variable associated with treatment failure. Notably, 19% of patients required an antimicrobial switch from vancomycin, frequently due to adverse drug reactions. Vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing showed high discordance between VITEK2 and E-Test. MRSA bloodstream infections remain a significant challenge in the NT, largely due to social and structural factors disproportionately affecting First Nations Australians. While strategies to prevent invasive bloodstream infections should be prioritised, the high incidence of vancomycin-related adverse events and MIC discordance underscores the urgent need for stable, effective oral antimicrobial alternatives and culturally safe, community-led prevention strategies.

To report 45 cases of melioidosis in dogs and cats from northern Australia and analyse trends in epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathogenesis and response to treatment over a 27-year period. Retrospective and prospective analysis of clinical records. Forty-five cases were diagnosed (24 dogs, 21 cats) from the Northern Territory and Queensland over 27 years, with most diagnosed during the wet season (December-March). Presentations most commonly involved localised infection (wounds, cellulitis or abscessation) or primary neurological disease. Other presentations included septic arthritis, urinary tract infection, pneumonia/pyothorax, disseminated disease, ocular infection and reproductive tract infection. Dogs more often had disease of the skin and subcutis, whereas cats showed more variable clinical manifestations. Predisposing causes such as immunosuppression were not identified in most cases. Treatment and outcome data were available for 15 cases: 5/11 (45%) cats and 4/4 (100%) dogs recovered; one cat was lost to follow-up (LTFU); one cat was receiving treatment at the time of manuscript submission and 4/11 (36%) cats were euthanised. Of 13 animals that died or were euthanised due to melioidosis, seven presented with neurological disease. Melioidosis is a serious, potentially fatal infection in dogs and cats in tropical and occasionally subtropical regions of Australia. Diverse clinical presentations may delay definitive diagnosis and initiation of appropriate therapy. Timely diagnosis and prompt administration of appropriate antimicrobials were critical to achieve control and reduce relapse and mortality.

ABSTRACT Climate change has altered not only flood intensity but also its seasonal distribution and interannual variability worldwide. However, a comprehensive understanding of the long-term evolution of flood seasonality and its complex mechanisms remains limited. Here, we reveal substantial spatial heterogeneity in global flood seasonality, with winter (austral summer) floods prevailing in Africa, South America, northern Australia and western Europe, spring floods dominating northern mid-to-high latitudes and summer floods concentrated in Asia. Floods are significantly earlier in the northern high latitudes but delayed in central South America. Using an attribution model that integrates partial least squares regression with partial differential equations, we identify precipitation excess as the primary driver of flood seasonality shifts, followed by extreme precipitation, snowmelt or rain-on-snow and antecedent soil moisture. Regionally, precipitation excess and extreme precipitation drive shifts in the tropics, antecedent soil moisture dominates in the Amazon and snowmelt or rain-on-snow dominates in northern high latitudes.

Neuromelioidosis in a nutshell-Pattern and Endemicity.

The Tomkinson Province is a poorly understood component of the extensive Proterozoic basin system in northern Australia, spanning the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic. These include the greater McArthur Basin, the South Nicholson Basin and the Lawn Hill Platform. The basins are broadly coeval and were deposited under comparable environmental conditions, resulting in similar stratigraphic successions. However, thick overlying sedimentary sequences obscure and separate individual basin components, complicating regional correlation and hindering reconstructions of their tectonic and depositional histories. The Tomkinson Province comprises three major stratigraphic packages—in ascending order, the Tomkinson Creek Group, Namerinni Group and the Renner Group—and is interpreted to be contiguous in the subsurface with the McArthur and Birrindudu basins. The Renner Group is a siliciclastic succession that has been historically correlated with the Roper Group of the McArthur Basin and the Tijunna Group of the Birrindudu Basin. However, there are few geochronological data to constrain the depositional age of the group and refine the correlations between these basins. Data here show that the Renner Group has major detrital zircon age peaks at ca 1850 Ma and 1750 Ma with minor peaks at ca 2200–1900 Ma and 2500 Ma. Large zircon εHf(t) arrays (–8 to +10) occur at ca 2500 Ma and ca 1850 Ma, with the most radiogenic values associated with older zircons—interpreted to reflect crustal thickening and orogenic activity. Importantly, the data suggest that the Renner Group is best correlated with the lower Roper Group (Collara Subgroup) of the McArthur Basin sensu stricto. If the Maiwok Subgroup (upper Roper Group) has equivalents within the Tomkinson Province, they appear to be restricted to the poorly exposed Lake Woods beds. Moreover, the detrital zircon age spectra from this study and others support previous seismic interpretations that the upper Roper Group is absent in the western Birrindudu Basin, with limited preservation west of the Daly Waters Fault Zone.

• Novel use of geochemical tracers with eDNA to constrain spring groundwater sources. • eDNA and isotopes serve as complementary hydrogeological tracers. • Microbial beta diversity and 3 H reveal elevation gradient influence on springs. • Spring discharge integrates groundwater from multiple recharge zones. Natural springs are vital ecotones which connect surface and groundwaters, play critical ecological roles and sustain important cultural values worldwide. Increasing pressures on hydrological systems from anthropogenic-induced changes threaten springs and their connected waterways. Methods to characterise spring groundwater sources and the dynamics controlling discharge are critical to inform evidence-based management. This study presents an eco-hydrogeological approach synthesising geochemical tracer data (hydrochemistry, stable and radio-isotopes) with environmental DNA (eDNA) from springs and spring-fed surface waters, to develop a conceptual model of groundwater flow paths and water sources for Great Artesian Basin springs in Carnarvon Gorge, northern Australia. Analysis of δ 2 H, δ 18 O, 3 H, 14 C and 36 Cl identified vertical inter-aquifer flow as a major control on local groundwater dynamics. 87 Sr/ 86 Sr helped to constrain dominant water sources for springs and confirmed multiple recharge zones within and surrounding the gorge. eDNA was in certain areas more sensitive than the isotopic tracers to differences in recharge area and flow paths, e.g., distinguishing between groundwater from the same aquifer(s) emerging at different springs hydraulically separated by gorge topography. 3 H showed a statistically significant relationship with eDNA beta diversity and non-linear modelling supported the hypothesised elevation-driven vertical hydraulic gradient controlling groundwater flow to springs. This is among the first studies to demonstrate the value of integrating ecological with isotopic tracers in the context of developing more robust and nuanced conceptual models of complex aquifer-spring-surface water dynamics. We highlight the need for multi-tracer approaches to inform the protection of springs, connected waters, and associated ecological and cultural values.

Patient and nurse perceptions of electronic medical records in an acute setting: A multi-method qualitative study.

Canine ehrlichiosis in Northern Australia: A sensitivity and elasticity analysis of R0.