INVESTIGATION OF STREPTOCOCCUS PYOGENES CARRIAGE AMONG PHARMACY STUDENTS IN CYPRUS

Year 2019, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 1 - 6, 11.09.2019

Sahar Haddad Mehmet İlktaç , Sultan Ogmen , Gülden Çelik

Abstract

Streptococcus
pyogenes is one
of the most frequently detected bacterial agent of pharyngitis and skin
infections that may result in the late complications of rheumatic fever and
glomerulonephritis. The aim of the study was to investigate S. pyogenes carriage among pharmacy students in a
university in Cyprus.

Throat samples were inoculated onto blood agar which was
incubated at 37 °C for 48 hours. Gram positive, catalase negative beta
hemolytic cocci which were sensitive to bacitracin and resistant to
trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were identified as S. pyogenes.

A total of 140 healthy students were included in the
study. 77.1% of students were Iranian, 5% each were Syrian and Iraqi, 4.3% were
Nigerian and 8.6% were from other nationalities. Five (3.6%) students, all
Iranian, were found to be S. pyogenes carriers.
4.6% of Iranian students were determined to carry S. pyogenes.

The study is the first study in North
Cyprus reporting the low rate of group A beta hemolytic Streptococcus carriage in young adults in Turkish Republic of North Cyprus. 

Keywords

Carriage, S. pyogenes, students, throat

References

• Bura M, Michalak M, Padzik M, Gowin E, Celczyńska-Bajew L, Mozer-Lisewska I (2016). The carriage of potentially pathogenic β-haemolytic streptococci (β-HS) in healthy adult inhabitants of Wielkopolska, Poland. Fam Med Prim Care Rev 3:221-224.
• Davies HD, McGeer A, Schwartz B, Green K, Cann D, Simor AE, Low DE (1996). Invasive group A Streptococcal infections in Ontario, Canada. New Engl J Med 335(8):547-54.
• Demuri GP, Wlad ER (2014). The group A streptococcal carriage state reviewed: Still an enigma. J Ped Infect Dis Society 3(4):336-42.
• Koliou M, Ioannou Y, Efstratiou A, Hannidou N, Pieri V, Alexandrou M, Soteriades ES (2007). Circulating serotypes and antimicrobial sensitivity of Streptococcus pyogenes isolates from children in Cyprus. Clin Microbiol Infect 13:645-647.
• Levy RM, Leyden JJ, Margolis DJ (2015). Colonization rates of Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus in the oropharynx of a young adult population. CMI 11(2):153-155.
• Martin J (2016). The Streptococcus pyogenes carrier state. In: Ferretti JJ, Stevens DL, Fischetti VA (eds). Streptococcus pyogenes: Basic Biology to Clinical Manifestations [Internet]. Oklahoma City (OK): University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
• Moloi HA (2015). Prevalence of group A β-hemolytic Streptococcal carriage in children in Africa: A systematic review. MSc Thesis (supervised by Dr Mark E. Engel and Ms Leila Abdullahi). Cape Town: University of Cape Town. https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/handle/11427/16604/thesis_hsf_2015_moloi_annesinah.pdf;sequence=1.
• Sanyahumbi AS, Colquhoun S, Wyber R, Carapetis JR (2016). Global disease burden of group A Streptococcus. In: Ferretti JJ, Stevens DL, Fischetti VA (eds). Streptococcus pyogenes: Basic Biology to Clinical Manifestations [Internet]. Oklahoma City (OK): University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
• Schwartz RH, Wientzen RL, Pedreira F, Feroli EJ, Mella GW, Guandolo VL (1981).Penicillin V for group A streptococcal pharyngotonsillitis. A randomized trial of seven vs ten days' therapy. JAMA 246(16):1790-1795.
• Sevinc I, Enöz M (2008). The prevalence of group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus in healthy Turkish children in day-care centers in Ankara. Chang Gung Med J 31(6):554-8.
• Shaikh N, Leonard E, Martin JM (2010). Prevalence of streptococcal pharyngitis and streptococcal carriage in children: A meta-analysis. Pediatrics 126(3):e557–64.
• Shulman ST (1994). Streptococcal pharyngitis: Diagnostic considerations. Pediatr Infect Dis J 13(6):567-571.
• Spellerberg B, Brandt C (2015). Streptococcus. In: Jorgensen JH, Pfaller MA, Carrol KC, Landry ML, Funke G, Richter SS, Warnock DW (eds). Manual of Clinical Microbiology. pp:383-402. Washington: ASM Press.