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SALAMONSON Y., RAMJAN L., LOMBARDO L., LANSER L.H., FERNANDEZ R. & GRIFFITHS R. (2011) Diversity and demographic heterogeneity of Australian nursing students: a closer look. International Nursing Review 59, 59-65 Background: In the last decade, there has been a rapid growth of international students undertaking nursing studies in Australian universities. At the same time, nursing courses continue to attract local students from a diversity of backgrounds. Aim: The aim of this study is to examine first year nursing students by enrolment classification and country of birth: i) international; ii) local, overseas-born; and iii) local, Australian-born student, and demographic differences of academic performance at the 12-month follow-up. Methods: A prospective, correlational design was used to identify nursing student characteristics as predictors of academic performance in a large university in the western region of Sydney. Results: Of the 806 students enrolled in the course, 540 (67%) completed the survey and consented to data linkage. Fifty-six per cent of the 540 participants were born overseas, of which 38% were local and 18% were international students. Local, overseas-born students originated from 55 different countries, in contrast to international students who were representative of only 16 different countries. International students were younger, spent less time in paid work and were more likely to have a close friend in the same course. Although age was positively related to academic performance, local, overseas-born and international enrolment classifications, and hours in paid work during semester were negatively associated to academic performance. Conclusion: This study has taken a closer look at an important issue that requires further examination, given that international and local, overseas-born students were two distinctive groups. Although both groups underperformed academically compared with Australian-born students, the differences in characteristics between local, overseas-born students and international students suggest that these two student groups are likely to experience different challenges during their nursing studies in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to examine the diversity and population structure of Campylobacter jejuni isolates associated with sporadic cases of gastroenteritis in Australia, and to compare these isolates with those from elsewhere. Methods and Results: A total of 153 Camp. jejuni isolates were genotyped. Forty sequence types (STs) were found, 19 of which were previously undescribed and 21 identified in other countries. The 19 newly described STs accounted for 43% of isolates, 16 of which were assigned to known clonal complexes. Eighty-eight percent of isolates were assigned to a total of 15 clonal complexes. Of these, four clonal complexes accounted for 60% of isolates. Three STs accounted for nearly 40% of all isolates and appeared to be endemic, while 21 STs were represented by more than one isolate. Seven infections were acquired during international travel, and the associated isolates all had different STs, three of which were exclusive to the travel-acquired cases. Comparison of serotypes among isolates from clonal complexes revealed further diversity. Eight serotypes were identified among isolates from more than one clonal complex, while isolates from six clonal complexes displayed serotypes not previously associated with those clonal complexes. Conclusions: Multilocus sequence typing is a useful tool for the discrimination of subtypes and examination of the population structure of Camp. jejuni associated with sporadic infections. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study highlights the genotypic diversity of Camp. jejuni in Australia, demonstrating that STs causing disease have both a global and a local distribution evident from the typing of domestically and internationally acquired Camp. jejuni isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]