Logo image
Back
A pilot study to develop assessment tools for Group A Streptococcus surveillance studies
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

A pilot study to develop assessment tools for Group A Streptococcus surveillance studies

Janessa Pickering, Claudia Sampson, Marianne Mullane, Meru Sheel, Dylan D Barth, Mary Lane, Roz Walker, David Atkinson, Jonathan R Carapetis and Asha C Bowen
PeerJ (San Francisco, CA), Vol.11, Art. e14945
2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14945
PMID: 36935916
pdf
Published10.25 MBDownloadView
CC BY V4.0,  Open Access

Abstract

Adolescent Australia - epidemiology Child Child, Preschool Cross-Sectional Studies Female Humans Impetigo Male Pharyngitis - diagnosis Pilot Projects Retrospective Studies Rheumatic Fever - epidemiology Streptococcal Infections - diagnosis Streptococcus pyogenes
Introduction Group A Streptococcus (GAS) causes pharyngitis (sore throat) and impetigo (skin sores) GAS pharyngitis triggers rheumatic fever (RF) with epidemiological evidence supporting that GAS impetigo may also trigger RF in Australian Aboriginal children. Understanding the concurrent burden of these superficial GAS infections is critical to RF prevention. This pilot study aimed to trial tools for concurrent surveillance of sore throats and skins sore for contemporary studies of RF pathogenesis including development of a sore throat checklist for Aboriginal families and pharynx photography. Methods Yarning circle conversations and semi-structured interviews were performed with Aboriginal caregivers and used to develop the language and composition of a sore throat checklist. The sore throat story checklist was combined with established methods of GAS pharyngitis and impetigo surveillance (examination, bacteriological culture, rapid antigen detection and serological tests) and new technologies (photography) and used for a pilot cross-sectional surveillance study of Aboriginal children attending their health clinic for a routine appointment. Feasibility, acceptability, and study costs were compiled. Results Ten Aboriginal caregivers participated in the sore-throat yarning circles; a checklist was derived from predominant symptoms and their common descriptors. Over two days, 21 Aboriginal children were approached for the pilot surveillance study, of whom 17 were recruited; median age was 9 years [IQR 5.5–13.5], 65% were female. One child declined throat swabbing and three declined finger pricks; all other surveillance elements were completed by each child indicating high acceptability of surveillance assessments. Mean time for screening assessment was 19 minutes per child. Transport of clinical specimens enabled gold standard microbiological and serological testing for GAS. Retrospective examination of sore throat photography concorded with assessments performed on the day. Conclusion Yarning circle conversations were effective in deriving culturally appropriate sore throat questionnaires for GAS pharyngitis surveillance. New and established tools were feasible, practical and acceptable to participants and enable surveillance to determine the burden of superficial GAS infections in communities at high risk of RF. Surveillance of GAS pharyngitis and impetgio in remote Australia informs primary RF prevention with potential global translation.

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

Source: InCites

Metrics

142 File views/ downloads
94 Record Views
3 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Citation topics
1 Clinical & Life Sciences
1.23 Antibiotics & Antimicrobials
1.23.1051 Streptococcal Infections
Web Of Science research areas
Infectious Diseases
ESI research areas
Clinical Medicine
Logo image