Prevalencia de portación asintomática del estreptococo b hemolítico grupo A (Streptococcus pyogenes)

introduction. the global carrier rate for b hemolytic group a streptococci (s. pyogenes) is 15-20%. given the high occurrence of conditions related to this pathogen in our medical practice and the lack of local data, we decided to determine the prevalence of s. pyogenes carrier state among healthy children and its relation with acute pharyngitis. patients and method. a prospective, transversal, and observational study was carried out in puiggari public school, entre ríos, argentina. the population consisted of 108 healthy 4-15 years old children. the number of acute pharyngitis was assessed by a close-question questionnaire among parents. pharyngeal swab, culture, bacitracin and pyrrolidonilarilamidase tests were used to detect s. pyogenes. results. thirteen percent of cultures were positive for s. pyogenes, showing an even gender distribution. the highest carrier rate was seen among 8-10 years old (20%). the number of acute pharyngitis was associated with the carrier state (p= 0.003; or: 5.66; 95% ci: 1.65-19.38). conclusions. the prevalence of s. pyogenes carrier state among school children was 13%. carriers have 5.66 times more risk of having more episodes of acute pharyngitis than non-carriers.