Prevalence of group A streptococcal pharyngitis among schoolchildren of Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Group A streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis and its carriage among schoolchildren in the age group 5-15 years in Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, India. The study also aimed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Penicillin G, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and inducible Clindamycin resistance in GAS. Materials and Methods: Three hundred schoolchildren from six different schools were included in the study. Identification of group A streptococcus was done on the basis of Bacitracin sensitivity test, pyrrolidonyl peptidase (PYRase) test and Lancefield grouping by latex agglutination test. Antibiotic susceptibility test and D-zone test were done in GAS isolates. Results: Out of the 300 schoolchildren, GAS was found in three (4.7%) out of 63 symptomatic children and two (0.8%) out of 237 asymptomatic children. The overall prevalence of GAS pharyngitis and of GAS carriage was 1% and 0.67%, respectively. The isolation of GAS was significantly higher in symptomatic cases when compared to asymptomatic cases (P value = 0.0308). All the strains were sensitive to Penicillin, Ampicillin, Quinupristin-Dalfopristin, Vancomycin and Linezolid. Conclusion: A low prevalence of GAS pharyngitis and GAS carriage was observed in the study, probably due to the cross-sectional nature of the study. All five GAS isolates were sensitive to Penicillin.