Design and Evaluation of a Novel Kit for Rapid Detection of Streptococcus pyogenes from Pharyngeal Specimens

Streptococcus pyogenes is the most common cause of bacterial pharyngitis. Patients with streptococcal pharyngitis should be rapidly treated with appropriate antibiotics. Rheumatic fever and acute glomerulonephritis can develop as complications of inadequately treated streptococcal pharyngitis. Furthermore, antibiotic misuse promotes antibiotic resistance. Throat swab culture is standard diagnostic method for detection of S.pyogenes, which is time-consuming. Thus, developing a new, rapid, appropriate and inexpensive kit is very important for detection of S.pyogenes from pharyngeal specimens.
Methods and Materials: In this study a new kit was designed for rapid detection of S.pyogenes. Twenty four S.pyogenes isolates were examined with both latex agglutination test and new kit. Sensitivity and specificity of new kit were calculated considering latex agglutination test results. Thirty sample swabs were also obtained from students of Alzahra University for examination of effect the new kit on normal throat flora.
Twenty four S.pyogenes isolates were identified as S.pyogenes using latex agglutination test and same results were obtained using new kit (κ = 1). The sensitivity and specificity of our new kit were 100% and 100%, respectively. Growth of the normal flora was inhibited in the second section of three section plate.
New kit can decrease the required time and expense for detection S.pyogenes from pharyngeal specimens. It can also provide possibility rapid treatment with appropriate antibiotics and prevents rheumatic fever, acute glomerulonephritis, unwanted side effects of antibiotic misuse and antibiotic resistance.