Evaluating clinical decision rules and rapid diagnostic tests for the diagnosis of Streptococcus pyogenes pharyngitis in Gambian children: A diagnostic accuracy study.

Objectives: Accurate diagnosis of Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) pharyngitis is imperative in high rheumatic heart disease-burden countries. We aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of two rapid diagnostic tests and five clinical decision rules (CDRs) in The Gambia.

Household molecular epidemiology of Streptococcus pyogenes carriage and infection in The Gambia.

Background: Africa experiences a high burden of Streptococcus pyogenes disease but has limited epidemiological data. We characterized emm-types and emm-clusters associated with carriage and disease in The Gambia, a setting with high rheumatic heart disease burden.

Methods: A one-year household cohort study (2021-2022) recruited 442 participants from 44 households to assess S pyogenes carriage and non-invasive infection.

Streptococcus pyogenes carriage and infection within households in The Gambia: a longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Streptococcus pyogenes causes more than 500 000 deaths per year globally, which occur disproportionately in low-income and middle-income countries. The roles of S pyogenes skin and pharyngeal carriage in transmission are unclear. We aimed to investigate the clinical epidemiology and household transmission dynamics of both S pyogenes asymptomatic carriage and infection in a high-burden setting.

carriage acquisition, persistence and transmission dynamics within households in The Gambia (SpyCATS): protocol for a longitudinal household cohort study.

Background: (StrepA) causes a significant burden of disease globally from superficial infections to invasive disease. It is responsible for over 500,000 deaths each year, predominantly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Superficial StrepA infections of the skin and pharynx can lead to rheumatic heart disease, the largest cause of StrepA-related deaths in LMIC.