Korean J Clin Microbiol.  2008 Apr;11(1):1-4. 10.5145/KJCM.2008.11.1.1.

Microbiological Characteristics of Throat Cultures from School Children in Jinju, 2006

• Koh EH
• Kim S

• KMID: 2089800
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2008.11.1.1

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Group A streptococci (GAS) are the most common cause of pharyngitis in children. The streptococci in throat cultures from healthy elementary school children in Jinju were compared with previous results.
METHODS
Throat cultures were taken from 1,402 healthy school children in 2006. beta-hemolytic streptococci (BHS) were identified with a bacitracin disk (0.04 U) and latex agglutination test (Seroiden Strepto Kit, Eiken, Tokyo, Japan).
RESULTS
Two-hundred sixteen (15.4%) and 149 (10.6%) cultures grew BHS and GAS, respectively. The isolation rate of GAS was significantly lower than in 2004 (16.0%) or 2002 (16.9%) (P<0.05). Among BHS, the prevalence of group A strains (69.0%) decreased significantly compared with 2004 (84.9%) and 2002 (83.8%) (P<0.05). None of the 1st-grade children yielded BHS or GAS.
CONCLUSION
The isolation rates of BHS and GAS from healthy school children were lower in 2006 than in previous years. Natural immunization against the common serotypes or improvement in individual hygiene might have played roles in the reduction of isolations of GAS.

Keyword

Group A streptococci; Streptococcus pyogenes; Throat culture

MeSH Terms

Bacitracin
Child
Humans
Hygiene
Immunization
Latex Fixation Tests
Pharyngitis
Pharynx
Prevalence
Streptococcus pyogenes
Tokyo
Bacitracin