Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T20:30:09.176Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An outbreak of streptococcal sore throat and rheumatic fever in a Royal Air Force Training camp; significance of serum antibody to M-associated protein

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

Jean P. Widdowson ,
W. R. Maxted ,
C. W. Newrick  and
D. Parkin
Jean P. Widdowson
Affiliation:
Cross-Infection Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
W. R. Maxted
Affiliation:
Cross-Infection Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
C. W. Newrick
Affiliation:
R.A.F. Institute of Pathology & Tropical Medicine, Halton, Aylesbury, Bucks
D. Parkin
Affiliation:
R.A.F. Institute of Pathology & Tropical Medicine, Halton, Aylesbury, Bucks
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A large outbreak of streptococcal sore throat in a Royal Air Force Training Camp resulted in five cases of rheumatic fever among the 16- to 18-year-old apprentices, and one case in a 33-year-old airman. The most prevalent type of group A streptococcus isolated from throat swabs was M-type 5 and there was serological evidence that at least four of the rheumatic fever (R.F.) cases were due to this type.

Among the patients with uncomplicated throat infection the anti-streptolysin O (ASO) and anti-deoxyribonuclease B (anti-DNAase B) responses were in general rather low, even where there was evidence of protective antibody against type 5. However, a combination of the results of the ASO and anti-DNAase B tests gave an estimate of the extent of streptococcal infection 15–25% higher than did either test alone.

The titres of antibody to M-associated protein (MAP) were ≥ 60 in all the r.f. patients, and in about 50% of the other patients with ASO titres ≥ 200. This figure is unusually high compared with data from several other outbreaks of streptococcal infection due to different serotypes and also greatly exceeds comparable figures for cases of sporadic sore throat and acute glomerulonephritis.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 72 , Issue 1 , February 1974 , pp. 1 - 12
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1974

References

REFERENCES

Ayoub, E. M. & Wannamaker, L. W. (1962). Evaluation of the streptococcal desoxyribonuclease B and diphosphopyridine nucleotidase antibody tests in acute rheumatic fever and acute glomerulonephritis. Pediatrics 39, 527–38.Google Scholar
Gooder, H. (1961). Antistreptolysin O: Its interaction with streptolysin O, its titration and a comparison of some standard preparations. Bulletin of the World Health Organisation 25, 173–83.Google Scholar
Gooder, H. & Williams, R. E. O. (1961). Titration of antistreptolysin O. Association of Clinical Pathologists Broadsheet, no. 34 (New Series).Google Scholar
Griffith, F. (1934). The serological classification of Streptococcus pyogenes. Journal of Hygiene 34, 542–83.Google ScholarPubMed
Lancefield, R. C. (1959). Persistence of type-specific antibodies in man following infection with group A streptococci. Journal of Experimental Medicine 110, 271–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maxted, W. R. (1948). Preparation of streptococcal extracts for Lancefield grouping. Lancet ii, 255–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maxted, W. R. (1953). The use of Bacitracin for identifying group A haemolytic streptococci. Journal of Clinical Pathology 6, 224–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maxted, W. R., Widdowson, J. P. & Fraser, C.M. (1973). Antibody to streptococcal opacity factor in human sera. Journal of Hygiene 71, 35–42.Google Scholar
Nelson, J., Ayoub, E. M. & Wannamaker, L. W. (1968). Streptococcal anti-deoxyribonuclease B: Microtechnique determination. The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine 71, 867–73.Google Scholar
Swift, H. F., Wilson, A. T. & Lancefield, R. C. (1943). Typing group A streptococci by M-precipitin reactions in capillary pipettes. Journal of Experimental Medicine 78, 127–33.Google Scholar
Widdowson, J. P., Maxted, W. R. & Pinney, A. M. (1971). An M-associated protein antigen (MAP) of group A streptococci. Journal of Hygiene 69, 553–64.Google ScholarPubMed