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S D Med 2022 May;75(5):212-215

Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

A previously healthy 8-year-old Native American female presented with right-sided weakness and joint pain for two weeks. Following an initially unremarkable workup including negative brain and spine MRI she was noticed to have chorea and subsequently diagnosed with acute rheumatic fever (ARF). ARF is a group A streptococcus-related disease that most commonly is a sequelae of pharyngitis. Read More

Am Fam Physician 2022 Jun;105(6):Online

USA.

JAMA 2022 06;327(22):2231-2237

Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.

Importance: Acute infectious conjunctivitis is characterized by ocular redness and discharge, and is a common clinical entity. Evidence-based tools to aid the clinical diagnosis of viral vs bacterial conjunctivitis are lacking and may contribute to overprescribing of topical antibiotics.

Objective: To determine the relative prevalence of viral vs bacterial conjunctivitis in adults and children, and to determine which symptoms or signs are suggestive of a viral vs bacterial etiology. Read More

Eur J Gen Pract 2022 Dec;28(1):142-149

Department of Family Medicine and Siaal Research Center for Family Medicine and Primary Care, The Haim Doron Division of Community Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

Background: Acute upper respiratory infections are the most common reason for primary physician visits in the community. This study investigated whether the type of antibiotic used to treat streptococcal tonsillitis can reduce the burden by affecting the number of additional visits.

Objectives: To assess the effect of different antibiotic treatments for tonsillitis on the number of additional primary physician visits and the development of infectious or inflammatory sequels. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2022 Jun 7;22(1):524. Epub 2022 Jun 7.

UK Health Security Agency, London, UK.

Background: The European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP) performs annual sentinel surveillance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae susceptibility to therapeutically relevant antimicrobials across the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA). We present the Euro-GASP results from 2019 (26 countries), linked to patient epidemiological data, and compared with data from previous years.

Methods: Agar dilution and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) gradient strip methodologies were used to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility (using EUCAST clinical breakpoints, where available) of 3239 N. Read More

Curr Rheumatol Rev 2022 May 27. Epub 2022 May 27.

Medical Faculty, Peoples\' Friendship University of Russia, Moscow, Russian Federation.

Background: Pulmonary manifestations and lung impairment are rarely associated with the adult Still's disease and are reported in less than 5%.

Case Presentation: The present clinical case describes the adult Still's disease with pulmonary involvement in a 45- year-old male. The main clinical manifestations included continuous fever, failure to respond to antibiotic therapy, skin rashes, musculoskeletal syndrome and pharyngitis. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2022 05 2;5(5):e2214153. Epub 2022 May 2.

Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.

Importance: Nonguideline antibiotic prescribing for the treatment of pediatric infections is common, but the consequences of inappropriate antibiotics are not well described.

Objective: To evaluate the comparative safety and health care expenditures of inappropriate vs appropriate oral antibiotic prescriptions for common outpatient pediatric infections.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study included children aged 6 months to 17 years diagnosed with a bacterial infection (suppurative otitis media [OM], pharyngitis, sinusitis) or viral infection (influenza, viral upper respiratory infection [URI], bronchiolitis, bronchitis, nonsuppurative OM) as an outpatient from April 1, 2016, to September 30, 2018, in the IBM MarketScan Commercial Database. Read More

Hosp Pharm 2022 Apr 11;57(2):309-314. Epub 2021 Jul 11.

The University of New Mexico Hospital, Albuquerque, NM, USA.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis is the most common bacterial cause of acute pharyngitis and is often over treated with unnecessary antibiotics. The purpose was to evaluate if implementation of a rapid antigen detection test (RADT) for GAS would reduce the number of inappropriately prescribed antibiotics for adult patients presenting with symptoms of pharyngitis. This was a retrospective cohort study of adult urgent care clinic patients pre- and post-implementation of a GAS RADT. Read More

J Belg Soc Radiol 2022 4;106(1):38. Epub 2022 May 4.

Hopital de la citadelle - Liège, BE.

Lemierre syndrome is a rare complication of bacterial pharyngitis with cervical thrombophlebitis leading to pulmonary abcesses; the radiologist may have a key role. Read More

Lancet Microbe 2021 07 15;2(7):e291-e299. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Tropical Diseases Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of General Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Background: Streptococcus pyogenes is a leading cause of infection-related morbidity and mortality. A reinvigorated vaccine development effort calls for new clinically relevant human S pyogenes experimental infection models to support proof of concept evaluation of candidate vaccines. We describe the initial Controlled Human Infection for Vaccination Against S pyogenes (CHIVAS-M75) study, in which we aimed to identify a dose of emm75 S pyogenes that causes acute pharyngitis in at least 60% of volunteers when applied to the pharynx by swab. Read More

Zhonghua Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi 2022 Apr;57(4):405-412

Epidemiol Infect 2022 02 24;150:e85. Epub 2022 Feb 24.

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, CA 94612 USA.

There is limited information on the volume of antibiotic prescribing that is influenza-associated, resulting from influenza infections and their complications (such as streptococcal pharyngitis and otitis media). Here, we estimated age/diagnosis-specific proportions of antibiotic prescriptions (fills) for the Kaiser Permanente Northern California population during 2010-2018 that were influenza-associated. The proportion of influenza-associated antibiotic prescribing among all antibiotic prescribing was higher in children aged 5-17 years compared to children aged under 5 years, ranging from 1. Read More

BMJ Open 2022 04 29;12(4):e059069. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Objective: Identifying optimal strategies for managing patients of any age with varying risk of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) attending for an apparently uncomplicated acute sore throat, also clarifying the role of point-of-care testing (POCT) for presence of group A beta-haemolytic (GABHS) in these settings.

Design: We compared outcomes of adhering to nine different strategies for managing these patients in primary healthcare.

Setting And Participants: The nine strategies, similar to guidelines from several countries, were tested against two validation data sets being constructs from seven prior studies. Read More

BMC Pediatr 2022 04 26;22(1):227. Epub 2022 Apr 26.

Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Haramaya University, College of Health and Medicine Sciences, P.O.Box- 235, Harar, Ethiopia.

Background: Group A Streptococcus has been recognized as an important human pathogen and it remains among the top ten causes of mortality from an infectious disease. Group A Streptococcus throat carriage plays an important role in the development of infection and transmission to contacts. In Ethiopia, there is little information about screening of children for group A Streptococcus carriage. Read More

Cureus 2022 Mar 18;14(3):e23306. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Emergency Medicine, Allegheny Health Network, Saint Vincent Hospital, Erie, USA.

Acute pharyngitis is a common complaint in emergency department (ED), urgent care, and primary care settings. Most cases are due to bacterial or viral infections easily treated with antibiotics or supportive care. However, serious pathologies in the pharyngitis differential include Ludwig's angina, peritonsillar abscess, retropharyngeal abscess, and bacterial tracheitis. Read More

Microbiol Immunol 2022 Jun 27;66(6):277-291. Epub 2022 May 27.

Centre for Molecular Biology, Central University of Jammu, Samba, Jammu and Kashmir (UT), India.

Respiratory diseases are responsible for a greater mortality rate around the world. Viral or bacterial infections in the respiratory tract have been identified as major causative agents for death and disability among the population. Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) cause severe respiratory ailments starting from coldlike symptoms, eventually affecting the lungs and other viscera, and are mainly categorized into two types depending on the affected area: upper RTIs and lower RTIs. Read More

BMJ Open 2022 04 22;12(4):e059942. Epub 2022 Apr 22.

Department of Internal Medicine, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.

Objectives: Rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remain among the major heart problems among children in Nepal. Although these conditions are preventable and treatable, the lack of proper knowledge and resources to diagnose and manage these conditions in rural health centres is a key concern. This study assessed the impact of educational sessions to improve the knowledge of healthcare workers in the early recognition, diagnosis, and management of RF and RHD in rural far-western Nepal. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2022 Jul 13;120:77-82. Epub 2022 Apr 13.

Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; Division of Infectious Diseases II and Immunology, Department of Medical Sciences and Infectious Diseases, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.

Background: Immunological treatments (immune checkpoint inhibitors [ICIs], chimeric antigen receptor T [CAR-T] cells, bispecific T-cell engagers [BiTEs]) have deeply changed the treatment of several cancers. However, the impact of these treatments on the risk of developing infections has not been completely ascertained yet.

Methods: We reviewed all the registration studies of currently approved ICIs, CAR-T cells, and BiTEs to collect all the reported infections. Read More

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2022 Jun 10;157:111128. Epub 2022 Apr 10.

Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Electronic address:

Introduction: Paediatric tonsillar hyperplasia (TH) is associated with a spectrum of presentations ranging from recurrent tonsillitis (RT) to sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). The underlying pathogenesis of tonsillar hyperplasia remains poorly understood. Previous studies have implicated bacterial microcolonies as targets of host inflammatory cells and as a potential driver of the chronic inflammation seen in TH. Read More

BMJ Open 2022 04 6;12(4):e057296. Epub 2022 Apr 6.

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.

Introduction: Group A β-haemolytic Streptococcus (GAS), a Gram-positive bacterium, causes skin, mucosal and systemic infections. Repeated GAS infections can lead to autoimmune diseases acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia have the highest rates of ARF and RHD in the world. Read More

Wiad Lek 2022 ;75(2):491-493

SHUPYK NATIONAL HEALTHCARE UNIVERSITY OF UKRAINE, KYIV, UKRAINE.

Objective: The aim: The aim of the study is to compare the class G antibody content in serum and tissue lysate from tonsils of children with hypertrophy and chronic tonsillitis to: streptolysin-O of Str. haemolyticus, protein-A of S. aureus, proteoglycans of Klebsiela spp. Read More

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022 28;12:831887. Epub 2022 Feb 28.

Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia.

Background: The underlying pathogenesis of pediatric obstructive sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and recurrent tonsillitis (RT) are poorly understood but need to be elucidated to develop less invasive treatment and prevention strategies.

Methods: Children aged between 1- and 16-years undergoing adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy for SDB (n=40), RT alone (n=18), or both SDB and RT (SDB+RT) (n=17) were recruited with age-matched healthy controls (n=33). Total bacterial load and species-specific densities of nontypeable (NTHi) and were measured by qPCR in nasopharyngeal swabs, oropharyngeal swabs, adenoid and tonsillar tissue from children with SDB, SDB+RT and RT, and in naso- and oro- pharyngeal swabs from healthy children. Read More

Nutrients 2022 Jan 24;14(3). Epub 2022 Jan 24.

Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada.

Pharyngitis is an inflammation of the pharynx caused by viral, bacterial, or non-infectious factors. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory efficacy of carvacrol was assessed using an in vitro model of streptococcal pharyngitis using human tonsil epithelial cells (HTonEpiCs) induced with cell wall antigens. HTonEpiCs were stimulated by a mixture of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and peptidoglycan (PGN) for 4 h followed by exposure to carvacrol for 20 h. Read More

Zhongguo Zhen Jiu 2022 Mar;42(3):241-9

NMPA for Laboratory for Clinical Research and Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Cardiology, Beijing 100091, China.

Objective: To observe the influence of acupoint application on the use of antibiotics in primary clinic practice, and explore the effect of acupoint application and its influence on the use of antibiotics based on common diseases in primary clinic (fever, cough, diarrhea, sore throat).

Methods: With the help of the internet electronic diagnosis and treatment platform (the main TCM suitable technology promoted by this platform is acupoint application therapy), the diagnosis and treatment data of 1.23 million patients in 2 000 primary clinics from August 24, 2020 to March 31, 2021 were collected. Read More

J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc 2022 06;11(6):303-304

Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Front Public Health 2022 9;10:810348. Epub 2022 Feb 9.

School of Health Service Management, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.

Objectives: This paper aims to explore the direct associations of antibiotics prescription with clinical diagnosis and bacterial detection. It also analyses the relations of clinical diagnosis with symptoms and bacterial detection, with a hope of revealing indirect links to antibiotic prescription.

Methods: The study was implemented in one village clinic and one township health center in each of four rural residential areas in Anhui Province, China. Read More

Pediatr Infect Dis J 2022 05;41(5):405-410

Department of Pediatrics, Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.

Background: Group A ß-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) is a leading pathogen worldwide and post-streptococcal sequelae is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in resource-limited countries. The M protein (coded by the emm gene) is a key virulence factor and a component of GABHS vaccine candidates. As data on BHS in Central Africa are scarce, antibiotic resistance, emm diversity and potential vaccine coverage were investigated. Read More

Br J Gen Pract 2022 03 24;72(716):136-137. Epub 2022 Feb 24.

Primary Care Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.

J Intern Med 2022 Jul 6;292(1):154-161. Epub 2022 Mar 6.

Department of ENT Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Objective: The objective of this study is to present a novel clinical manifestation of infection with the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus affecting mainly young, vaccinated, and healthy adults. We describe a new group of COVID-19 patients seeking emergency care with symptoms similar to the life-threatening condition epiglottitis. Here, we present a case series and discuss management. Read More

Benef Microbes 2022 Feb 11;13(1):83-94. Epub 2022 Feb 11.

Belano medical AG, Neuendorfstraße 19, 16761 Hennigsdorf, Germany.

, a group A streptococcus, is the major bacterial pathogen responsible for acute bacterial infection of the human oropharynx and the causative agent of scarlet fever. Estimates of the global burden of related diseases revealed 616 million cases of pharyngitis, and at least 517,000 deaths due to severe invasive diseases and sequelae. Here we describe DSM25988 that was identified among hundreds of strains (referring to all organisms that were classified as until 2020) showing ability to prevent adhesion of to Detroit 562 cells, and to exhibit a masking and co-aggregating effect on . Read More