title: The prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of beta-hemolytic streptococci colonizing the throats of schoolchildren in Assam, India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies on the carriage rate of beta-hemolytic streptococci among children form an important component of public health practice to prevent disease complications such as rheumatic fever/rheumatic heart disease, nephritis, and other local or systemic infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  Throat swabs collected from asymptomatic schoolchildren were inoculated into appropriate media for isolation of beta-hemolytic streptococci. They were identified by standard biochemical methods and sero-grouped. Antibiotic sensitivity was evaluated using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Beta-hemolytic streptococci were isolated from 106 (7.7%) out of the 1,384 throat swabs and Group F was the predominant sero-group isolated. The highest resistance observed among all the beta-hemolytic streptococci was to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.
authors: Regional Medical Research Centre, N.E. Region (ICMR), Assam, India. devi.utpala@gmail.com
authors: Utpala
authors: U
authors: Devi
authors: Prasanta Kumar
authors: PK
authors: Borah
authors: Jagadish
authors: J
authors: Mahanta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012703:Serotyping; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents