Emerging Invasive Group A Streptococcus M1UK Lineage Detected by Allele-Specific PCR, England, 20201.

Increasing reports of invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infections mandate surveillance for toxigenic lineage M1UK. An allele-specific PCR was developed to distinguish M1UK from other emm1 strains. The M1UK lineage represented 91% of invasive emm1 isolates in England in 2020. Allele-specific PCR will permit surveillance for M1UK without need for genome sequencing.

Streptococcus oralis pulmonic valve endocarditis: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Several factors increase the risk of right-sided endocarditis. The tricuspid valve is usually involved in right-sided endocarditis cases. Infective endocarditis of the pulmonic valve is rare, and few cases of pulmonic valve endocarditis were reported previously. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we describe a case of a 81-year-old Middle Eastern male patient, admitted to our hospital three times in a period of 2 months for fever and cough. He had Streptococcus oralis bacteremia with vegetation that was on the pulmonic valve. We diagnosed him with pulmonic valve endocarditis, and he was treated successfully with intravenous antibiotics. CONCLUSION: It is important to keep high suspicion for isolated pulmonic valve endocarditis in patients with respiratory symptoms. Adequate dental care is important in patients with risk factors for infective endocarditis.

Exploring Diagnostic Strategies for Streptococcal Throat Infection Remotely: A Feasibility Study.

Context: Acute sore throat is a common presentation in primary care and often results in antibiotic prescription. The Covid pandemic has driven changes in consultation with less face to face visits. Scoring tools are available to target antibiotics and widely used in the UK but it is not clear whether patient self assessment is feasible and sufficiently precise to enable remote use of scoring tools. Objective: A feasibility study to develop and test remote assessment of acute sore throat. Design: Observational study Setting: UK primary care Population: Adults and children with sore throat were asked to use the online tool and report their clinical findings directly Intervention: An online tool was developed that could help patients or parents of children with sore throat assess the clinical features that make up clinical prediction rules and to take a photograph of the throat Results: 221 patients with sore throat were screened and 45 (33 adults and 12 children) were recruited. 44/45 (97.8%) participants were able to complete all elements of the clinical assessment. It was possible to calculate a FeverPAIN score for 25 (75.8%) adults and 10 (83.3%) children. 35 participants (25 (75.8%) adults and 10 (83.3%) children) provided a throat photograph but many of these were not of sufficient quality to enable assessment of throat pus and inflammation. Poor lighting and focus were the main problems. Photos that were of sufficient quality were available from 13 (39.4%) adults and 5 (41.7%) children. Three GPs independently assessed these photographs to assess for inflammation and pus. Using the clinician assessment as the reference standard, self/parent/carer assessment of inflammation had a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 46.7%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 27.3% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 100%. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for pus were 76.5%, 100%, 71.4%, 42.9% and 100%. Conclusions: Self assessment of sore throat was possible. Photographs were of sufficient quality for clinical assessment less than half the time. Patients/parents/carers are very good at ruling out pus and inflammation, but have a tendency to overcall these findings, especially inflammation. Further implications for self assessment and future work will be described.

Increase in invasive group A streptococcal (Streptococcus pyogenes) infections (iGAS) in young children in the Netherlands, 2022.

In 2022, a sevenfold increase in the number of notifiable invasive Streptococcus pyogenes (iGAS) infections among children aged 0-5 years was observed in the Netherlands compared with pre-COVID-19 pandemic years. Of 42 cases in this age group, seven had preceding or coinciding varicella zoster infections, nine were fatal. This increase is not attributable to a specific emm type. Vigilance for clinical deterioration as iGAS sign is warranted in young children, especially those with varicella zoster infection.

To swab or not to swab? Using point-of-care tests to detect Group A Streptococcus infections as part of a Sore Throat Test and Treat service in community pharmacy.

BACKGROUND: The community pharmacy-led Sore Throat Test and Treat (STTT) service in Wales allowed pharmacists to undertake a structured clinical assessment with FeverPAIN/Centor scores and a point-of-care test (POCT) for Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection. A new service model was temporarily agreed as a result of COVID-19, without routine use of POCT. OBJECTIVES: To explore the impact of removing the requirement for GAS POCT from a community pharmacy STTT service on antibiotic supply. METHODS: Analysis of STTT consultation data, obtained for two periods: November 2018 (date the service went live) to September 2019 (pre-pandemic); and November 2020 (date the new service model was introduced) to May 2021. RESULTS: For consultations eligible for POCT, the antibiotic supply rate increased from 27% (922/3369) (95% CI: 26%-29%) with the pre-pandemic service model (FeverPAIN/Centor + POCT) to 63% (93/147) (95% CI: 55%-71%) with the new model (FeverPAIN/Centor only); the percentage of patients who were not issued an antibiotic, despite their high clinical score, decreased from 56% (646/1154) to 9.3% (8/86). CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary data suggest that for every 100 STTT consultations with patients with a Centor score of ≥3 or a FeverPAIN score of ≥2, the use of POCT may spare up to 36 courses of antibiotics, increasing to 47 for patients with higher clinical scores, suggesting that the pre-COVID delivery model (FeverPAIN/Centor + POCT) is the optimal pathway and POCT in addition to clinical scores may result in fewer antibiotic prescriptions for sore throat symptoms. These findings have implications for STTT service delivery during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Group A Streptococcus, CMV and HSV-1 in COVID-19 Patients with Vitamin D Deficiency.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> In recent years, respiratory tract viral infections have caused many pandemics that impact the whole world. To investigate the seropositivity of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>, rubella, CMV, HSV-1 and group A <i>Streptococcus</i> in recovered COVID-19 patients and correlate these findings with vitamin D levels. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> A total of 417 COVID-19 patients with diarrhoea were enrolled in this study. Vitamin D and seroprevalence for <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>, rubella, CMV, HSV-1 and group A <i>Streptococcus</i> were evaluated and correlated. <b>Results:</b> It was found that recent infection in COVID-19 patients with HSV-1, rubella, <i>Toxoplasma</i> and CMV, respectively. IgG was detected indicating the development of adaptive immunity with all microbes. <b>Conclusion:</b> Current study detected a correlation between vitamin D levels and HSV-1 and no correlation between this infection and vitamin D deficiency with the other microbes.

Group A Streptococcus necrotising myositis of the limbs secondary to cavitating pneumonia.

Necrotising myositis is a rare complication of Group A Streptococcus infection requiring early and aggressive surgical management to prevent mortality. However, early diagnosis is difficult due to non-specific initial presentation and a low index of clinical suspicion given the paucity of cases. We highlight these challenges and present a case of a 22-year-old woman presenting with cough, fever and severe limb pain refractory to analgesia during the COVID-19 pandemic. We outline potential confounding factors that can delay intervention and offer diagnostic tools that can aid clinical diagnosis of necrotising myositis. In reporting this case, we hope to raise awareness among clinicians to avoid these pitfalls.