title: Group A streptococci in children with acute pharyngitis in Sousse, Tunisia.
abstract: A 1-year prospective study in 2 paediatric outpatient clinics in Sousse, Tunisia, aimed to determine the presence of group A streptococci in acute pharyngitis cases and carriers, and the distribution of the serotypes and biotypes. Group A streptococci were found in 9.0% of throat swabs from 155 controls and 17.7% from 474 patients (P < 0.05). Of 43 strains isolated from patients and submitted for typing, 15 different types were identified, the most common being M75 (14 strains; 32.5%), M9 (6 strains; 14.0%), M76 (5 strains; 11.6%) and M12 (4 strains; 9.3%). Three strains were non-typeable (7.0%). Biotyping of the strains showed 3 predominant biotypes: biotype 3 (n = 14), biotype 2 (n = 11), and biotype 1 (n = 7).
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Laboratory, Farhat Hached Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mzoughi
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bouallègue
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Selmi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ben Said
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Essoussi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeddi
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D006801:Humans; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D012703:Serotyping; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000145:classification; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data