Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Hygiene logoLink to The Journal of Hygiene
. 1980 Dec;85(3):331–341. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400063403

Streptococcal infection in a Junior Detention Centre: a five-year study.

A Colling, I Kerr, W R Maxted, J P Widdowson
PMCID: PMC2134017  PMID: 7007484

Abstract

In 1972 more than 20% of boys admitted to a closed community (Junior Detention Centre) developed acute tonsillitis and group-A streptococci were isolated from more than 40% of all boys at some time during their stay of two months. The most common serotype was M-type 5, which has frequently been associated with rheumatic fever in other epidemics; four cases of rheumatic fever occurred between 1972 and 1977. Various methods were tried to eliminate the infection, but only full penicillin prophylaxis (0.25 g oral penicillin 4 times a day for 10 days) to all boys on entry appeared to be effective. In a sample of cases of acute tonsillitis, group-A haemolytic streptococci were isolated from 31.7% by the use of dry swabs or unenriched transport medium, but with enrichment medium duplicate swabs, 77.6% yielded positive results. We question the current practice in some laboratories of reporting positive cultures only when more than ten colonies of beta-haemolytic streptococci are present. In this survey viruses did not appear to be an important cause of acute tonsillitis. High titres of streptococcal antibodies (antistreptolysin O, anti-desoxyribonuclease B and anti-M associated protein) were found, not only in cases and carriers, but in boys on entry to the centre. This supports epidemiological evidence that adolescent boys are particularly prone to streptococcal throat infections.

Full text

PDF
331

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Breese B. B., Disney F. A., Talpey W. B., Green J. L. Beta-hemolytic streptococcal infection. The clinical and epidemiologic importance of the number of organisms found in cultures. Am J Dis Child. 1970 Jan;119(1):18–26. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. FRANK P. F., STOLLERMAN G. H., MILLER L. F. PROTECTION OF A MILITARY POPULATION FROM RHEUMATIC FEVER. ROUTINE ADMINISTRATION OF BENZATHINE PENICILLIN G TO HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. JAMA. 1965 Sep 6;193:775–783. doi: 10.1001/jama.1965.03090100021005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Glezen W. P., Clyde W. A., Jr, Senior R. J., Sheaffer C. I., Denny F. W. Group A streptococci, mycoplasmas, and viruses associated with acute pharyngitis. JAMA. 1967 Nov 6;202(6):455–460. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Jones criteria (revised) for guidance in the diagnosis of rheumatic fever. Circulation. 1965 Oct;32(4):664–668. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.32.4.664. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Kaplan E. L., Top F. H., Jr, Dudding B. A., Wannamaker L. W. Diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis: differentiation of active infection from the carrier state in the symptomatic child. J Infect Dis. 1971 May;123(5):490–501. doi: 10.1093/infdis/123.5.490. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Maxted W. R., Widdowson J. P., Fraser C. A., Ball L. C., Bassett D. C. The use of the serum opacity reaction in the typing of group-A streptococci. J Med Microbiol. 1973 Feb;6(1):83–90. doi: 10.1099/00222615-6-1-83. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Nelson J., Ayoub E. M., Wannamaker L. W. Streptococcal anti-desoxyribonuclease B: microtechnique determination. J Lab Clin Med. 1968 May;71(5):867–873. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Rosenstein B. J., Markowitz M., Goldstein E., Kramer I., O'Mansky B., Seidel H., Sigler A., Tramer A. Factors involved in treatment failures following oral penicillin therapy of streptococcal pharyngitis. J Pediatr. 1968 Oct;73(4):513–520. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(68)80266-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Rotta J., Krause R. M., Lancefield R. C., Everly W., Lackland H. New approaches for the laboratory recognition of M types of group A streptococci. J Exp Med. 1971 Nov 1;134(5):1298–1315. doi: 10.1084/jem.134.5.1298. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Widdowson J. P., Maxted W. R., Newrick C. W., Parkin D. An outbreak of streptococcal sore throat and rheumatic fever in a Royal Air Force training camp; significance of serum antibody to M-associated protein. J Hyg (Lond) 1974 Feb;72(1):1–12. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400023135. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Widdowson J. P., Maxted W. R., Notley C. M., Pinney A. M. The antibody respones in man to infection with different serotypes of group-A streptococci. J Med Microbiol. 1974 Nov;7(4):483–496. doi: 10.1099/00222615-7-4-483. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Widdowson J. P., Maxted W. R., Pinney A. M. An M-associated protein antigen (MAP) of group A streptococci. J Hyg (Lond) 1971 Dec;69(4):553–564. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400021823. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Hygiene are provided here courtesy of Cambridge University Press

RESOURCES