A Study of Group A Streptococcus Strains Isolated from Children with Recurrent Group A Streptococcal Infection

Recurrent Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection was defined as a case in which GAS infection was suspected during June 2006-December 2008 and GAS was detected more than 2 times by throat culture. T serotype and emn genotype were investigated for GAS bacteria isolated from children with recurrent GAS infection. Bacteria gene homology was studied using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Of the 43 cases of GAS infection in 21 children used as subjects, 20 had GAS infection 2 times and one 3 times. A comparison of the first and second infection in subjects (and the second and third for the child with 3), bacteria isolated from 11 cases had coincident properties and those from the remaining 11 not-coincident. The mean period of first and second infections (second and third for the child with 3) was 29.1 +/- 17.1 days for the coincident group and 215.2 +/- 187.8 days for the not-coincident group. A significant group difference in period was seen (p = 0.0013). Ten of 12 children with recurrent GAS infection within 8 weeks of the first infection and one of 10 who had it more than 8 weeks after that were included in the coincident group, indicating a significant difference (p = 0.0028).