Clinical and epidemiological features of group A streptococcal bacteraemia in a region with hyperendemic superficial streptococcal infection

Reports of increasing incidence and severity of invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) infections come mainly from affluent populations where exposure to GAS is relatively infrequent. We conducted a 6-year retrospective review of GAS bacteraemia in the Northern Territory of Australia, comparing the Ab...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epidemiology and infection 1999-02, Vol.122 (1), p.59-65
Main Authors: CARAPETIS, J. R., WALKER, A. M., HIBBLE, M., SRIPRAKASH, K. S., CURRIE, B. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adults
Bacteremia - ethnology
Bacteremia - microbiology
Bacterial diseases
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Cellulitis
Child
Child, Preschool
Children
Endemic Diseases - statistics & numerical data
Epidemiology
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Incidence
Infant
Infections
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical genetics
Medical sciences
Microbiology
Middle Aged
Northern Territory - epidemiology
Pharyngitis
Population Surveillance
Predisposing factors
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Scabies
Serotyping
Severity of Illness Index
Staphylococcal infections, streptococcal infections, pneumococcal infections
Streptococcal infections
Streptococcal Infections - ethnology
Streptococcal Infections - microbiology
Streptococcus
Streptococcus pyogenes - classification
Toxicity
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Description
Summary:Reports of increasing incidence and severity of invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) infections come mainly from affluent populations where exposure to GAS is relatively infrequent. We conducted a 6-year retrospective review of GAS bacteraemia in the Northern Territory of Australia, comparing the Aboriginal population (24% of the study population), who have high rates of other streptococcal infections and sequelae, to the non-Aboriginal population. Of 72 episodes, 44 (61%) were in Aboriginal patients. All 12 cases in children were Aboriginal. Risk factors were implicated in 82% of episodes (91% in adults) and there was no significant difference in the proportion of Aboriginal compared to non-Aboriginal patients with at least one risk factor. Genetic typing of isolates revealed no dominant strains and no evidence of a clone which has been a common cause of these infections elsewhere.
ISSN:0950-2688
1469-4409
DOI:10.1017/S0950268898001952