Group A streptococcal antigen detection in schoolchildren

H. Nsanze, K. Dawson, A. S. Ameen, N. Mustafa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The objective of the study was to determine the correlation between group A streptococcal antigen detected from throat swabs with the culture results. A total of 1457 children had two swabs taken simultaneously, and culture and antigen detection were performed. There was a good correlation between antigen detection and isolation rates. In all, 225 strains of group A streptococcus were isolated; 53 (57.6%) were from the 92 children with high antigen positivity, 68 (55.7%) were from the 122 children with medium antigen positivity and 77 (25.4%) were from 303 children with low antigen positivity; only 27 (2.9%) were from the 940 children with no antigen detected. We postulate that those who are antigen-positive, culture-negative carry the organisms in their throats, but they may be missed on culture because of the small number carried.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)260-264
Number of pages5
JournalEastern Mediterranean Health Journal
Volume4
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - Aug 1998

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine(all)

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