CARRIERS OF GROUP A β-HEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCUS AMONG AN ADOLESCENT POPULATION IN TEHRAN

Background – Streptococcal pharyngitis is not prevalent among individuals above 15 years of age and as a result, there is little research conducted on this age group. Hence, the aim of this study was to detect the prevalence of group A βhemolytic Streptococcus (GABHS) among healthy individuals between 15 to 18 years of age. Methods – Using cluster sampling methods, 546 individuals aged from 15 to 18 years were randomly selected from a population of high school students in District 3 of Education Organization (Tehran, Iran). The results of throat cultures, demographic data, contents of tonsillar enlargement, cryptic tonsillitis and the level of education of individuals parents were evaluated. Results – Of the total of 546 students, 49 (9%) had GABHS in their pharynxes. Seventeen (60%) of the 28 students in which asymptomatic pharyngitis and/or cryptic tonsillitis was documented had GABHS in their pharynxes. Tonsillar enlargement was not a significant risk factor for being a carrier of GABHS. Lower level of parents education was associated with a positive rate of GABHS. Conclusion – Compared to developed countries, the higher prevalence of GABHS carriers in our study probably indicates that there is a significant number of children with untreated or partially-treated streptococcal pharyngitis. With the recent removal of legal restrictions in the prescription of injectable penicillins for children, a complete course of antibiotic treatment is highly recommended