Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Oct 4;24(1):1104.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-024-10023-w.

Impact of COVID-19 health precautions on asymptomatic Streptococcus pyogenes carriage in palestinian children: a pre- and post-pandemic study

Ibrahim Amer Ghannam  1 , Rana Mahmoud Maraqa  2 , Duha Shokri Qawasmeh  2 , Rania Khalil Alsous  2 , Sakra Mohammad Abu Jaber  2 , Iman Abd Almuti Ghatasha  2 , Yahya Ibrahim Ghannam  3
Affiliations

Impact of COVID-19 health precautions on asymptomatic Streptococcus pyogenes carriage in palestinian children: a pre- and post-pandemic study

Ibrahim Amer Ghannam et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus, GAS) is a significant pathogen that causes diverse infections, ranging from pharyngitis to severe invasive diseases. Asymptomatic carriage in children is pivotal for transmission. The COVID-19 pandemic's health measures, including mask wearing and enhanced hand hygiene, likely influenced GAS transmission dynamics. This study evaluated the impact of these precautions on the prevalence of asymptomatic pharyngeal GAS carriage among schoolchildren in the southern West Bank, Palestine.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in two phases: pre-COVID-19 (November 2019-January 2020) and post-COVID-19 (November 2023-April 2024). Throat swabs were collected from 701 children (345 pre-COVID-19, 356 post-COVID-19) via cluster sampling. The samples were tested with the ABON Strep A rapid test and confirmed by culture. Sociodemographic, health, and household data were also collected. The statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression.

Results: The prevalence of asymptomatic pharyngeal GAS carriage declined from 15.7% pre-COVID-19 to 10.4% post-COVID-19 (p = 0.038). Significant reductions were observed among urban residents (23.5-10.1%, p = 0.003) and those from medium socioeconomic backgrounds (16.0-9.1%, p = 0.008). Compared with urban residents, rural residents had lower GAS carriage rates (adjusted OR = 0.505, p = 0.023). Carriage rates also decreased among children with frequent sore throats (17.6-7.3%, p = 0.007) and those using private wells (52.5-14.9%, p < 0.001). Higher BMI was a significant risk factor (adjusted OR = 17.68, p < 0.001), whereas frequent tooth brushing (adjusted OR = 0.055, p < 0.001) and hand washing (adjusted OR = 0.367, p < 0.001) were protective factors.

Conclusions: COVID-19-related health precautions were correlated with a significant reduction in asymptomatic GAS carriage among Palestinian children. These findings suggest that public health measures, such as mask wearing and hand hygiene, can influence the transmission of respiratory pathogens. Ongoing surveillance and targeted interventions are essential for managing GAS infections, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Keywords: Asymptomatic GAS carriage; COVID-19 precautions; Schoolchildren; Southern west bank, Palestine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prevalence of Group A Streptococcus Asymptomatic Carriage among Palestinian Children (2019 vs. 2024)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Pallon J, Roost M, Sundqvist M, Hedin K. The aetiology of pharyngotonsillitis in primary health care: a prospective observational study. BMC Infect Dis. 2021;21(1):971. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nayiga I, Okello E, Lwabi P, Ndeezi G. Prevalence of group a streptococcus pharyngeal carriage and clinical manifestations in school children aged 5–15 yrs in Wakiso District, Uganda. BMC Infect Dis. 2017;17(1):248. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Increased incidence of scarlet fever and invasive Group. A Streptococcus infection - multi-country. [https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON429]
    1. Avire NJ, Whiley H, Ross K. A review of Streptococcus pyogenes: Public Health risk factors, Prevention and Control. Pathogens 2021, 10(2). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Armitage EP, de Crombrugghe G, Keeley AJ, Senghore E, Camara FE, Jammeh M, Bittaye A, Ceesay H, Ceesay I, Samateh B, et al. Streptococcus pyogenes carriage and infection within households in the Gambia: a longitudinal cohort study. Lancet Microbe. 2024;5(7):679–88. - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources