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We aimed to study the knowledge of health care acquired infections (HAIs) held by patients in Australian hospitals. Studies of patients' beliefs about HAIs exist, 1-3 but none have specifically assessed the beliefs of an Australian population. We piloted a British questionnaire 3 in 2 North Queensland hospitals: 1 large tertiary-level facility and 1 small, remote facility. After ethics approvals (HREC/13/QTHS/29) were secured, we recruited a small convenience sample of adult surgical inpatients, including Torres Strait Islander people, in the small hospital. The large hospital's culturally diverse population was appropriate and expected for Australian city hospitals. The questionnaire was left with participants, and if required, we read the questions and assisted in recording responses. In the large hospital, questionnaires were distributed during a 4-week period during April 2013; in the remote facility, questionnaires were distributed between April 2013 and April 2014 whenever surgical patients were present. Information regarding nonparticipation was not collected.Twenty-nine men and 22 women responded: 42 participants (82.4%) were from the large hospital (average age 56 years [range, 20-92 years]. Retired persons made up 27.5% of the respondents. Most (n ¼ 32; 62.8%) had been an inpatient within the previous 2 years and were aware of the risk of HAIs (n ¼ 42; 82.4%). They reported having accessed multiple sources of informationdseveral mentioned nurse friends or family as information sources and 2 mentioned the Internet. Most reported they had enough information (n ¼ 36; 70.6%) and enough understanding (n ¼ 41; 80.4%), about HAIs. Thirty-three (64.7%) believed the media did not portray HAIs accurately and 8 (15.7%) did not answer this question. When asked if HAIs were preventable, responses were mixed: 21 (41.1%) replied "yes," 25 (49.0%) replied "no," 1 replied "unsure," 1 replied "both," and 3 (5.9%) did not answer. Participants mentioned options for decreasing the risk of contracting an HAI. The use of alcoholbased handrub for visitors (n ¼ 34; 67%) and staff (n ¼ 33; 65%), involving patients more in their own care (n ¼ 33, 65%), increase domestic/cleaning staff (n ¼ 28; 55%), better staff compliance with infection control measures (n ¼ 27; 53%), stop the movement of patients from ward to ward (n ¼ 23; 45%), and restrict the number of visitors (n ¼ 9; 18%) were all suggested.Respondents listed specific bacteria-causing HAIs, including Staphylococcus ("MRSA," "staph," and "golden staph") (n ¼ 8; 15.7%) and Legionella (n ¼ 3; 5.9%). Of the 15 participants (29.4%) who were unable to name any bacteria, 6 stated "staph,"

The order Chlamydiales are biphasic intracellular bacterial pathogens infecting humans and domesticated animals. Wildlife infections have also been reported, with the most studied example being Chlamydia pecorum infections in the koala, an iconic Australian marsupial. In koalas, molecular evidence suggests that spill-over from C. pecorum infected livestock imported into Australia may have had a historical or contemporary role. Despite preliminary evidence that other native Australian marsupials also carry C. pecorum, their potential as reservoirs of this pathogen and other Chlamydia-related bacteria (CRBs) has been understudied. Mucosal epithelial samples collected from over 200 native Australian marsupials of different species and geographic regions across Australia were PCR screened for Chlamydiales. Previously described and genetically distinct C. pecorum genotypes and a range of 16S rRNA genotypes sharing similarity to different CRBs in the broader Chlamydiales order were present. One 16S rRNA Chlamydiales genotype recently described in Australian ticks that parasitise native Australian marsupials was also identified. This study provides further evidence that chlamydial infections are widespread in native fauna and that detailed investigations are required to understand the influence these infections have on host species conservation, but also whether infection spill-over plays a role in their epidemiology.

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