Prevalence of group A β-haemolytic streptococcus among children with pharyngitis in Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is an important cause of morbidity, mortality and responsible for 20–30% bacterial pharyngitis in children. Objectives: To determine prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and clinical predictors of GAS among children with pharyngitis. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on 355 children with pharyngitis attended in Health Centers of Jimma Town from May-December, 2013. Demographic and clinical data collected by questionnaire. Throat swabs were collected and processed with the standard microbiological techniques to isolate GAS. Disc diffusion method was used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS version 20. Results: Mean ± SD age of 355 children with pharyngitis was 8.5 ± 2.7 years. The prevalence of GAS was 11.3%. All isolates of GAS were susceptible to penicillin and erythromycin. However, 52.5% were resistant to tetracycline. Absence of cough [AOR: 3.77, 95% CI 1.73-8.22], tonsillar swelling or exudate [AOR: 4.48, 95% CI 1.63-12.31], temperature >38 0 C [AOR: 3.47, 95% CI 1.61-7.49] were found independent predictors for GAS infection (P Conclusion: Prevalence of GAS was relatively low. So that prospective study in the entire season is required due to the seasonality of GAS infection. Clinical predictors can be considered for the diagnosis of GAS pharyngitis with further validation in different settings.