Treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis with once-daily amoxicillin versus intramuscular benzathine penicillin G in low-resource settings: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Primary prevention of acute rheumatic fever is achieved by proper antibiotic treatment of group A β -hemolytic streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis.

Methods: To assess noninferiority of oral amoxicillin to intramuscular benzathine penicillin G (IM BPG). Children (2 to 12 years) meeting enrollment criteria were randomized 1:1 to receive antibiotic treatment in 2 urban outpatient clinics in Egypt and Croatia.

The utility of rapid antigen detection testing for the diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis in low-resource settings.

Objectives: To evaluate the utility of rapid antigen detection testing (RADT) for the diagnosis of group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis in pediatric outpatient clinics in four countries with varied socio-economic and geographic profiles.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated the utility of a commercial RADT in children aged 2-12 years presenting with symptoms of pharyngitis to urban outpatient clinics in Brazil, Croatia, Egypt, and Latvia between August 2001 and December 2005. We compared the performance of the RADT to culture using diagnostic and agreement statistics, including sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values.