[Clinical criteria to diagnosing of streptococcal pharyngitis in young adult patients]. / Criteri clinici per la diagnosi di angina streptococcica in giovani adulti.

Most sore throat is due to viral upper respiratory tract infections, whereas the frequency of antibiotic use in adult patients is about 73%. We evaluate the clinical guidelines (approved by the CDC) about appropriate antibiotic use for acute pharyngitis in young adults. We observe a low prevalence (3,2%) of group A beta haemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) in a population of university students. Minimizing unnecessary antimicrobial therapy in this setting is highly desirable. Use of clinical criteria (Centor algorithm) does indeed identify patients whose risk for GABHS infection is so low that microbiological testing or antibiotic treatment is unnecessary.