Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41417811›Full record

ArticlePLOS global public health2025

Longitudinal surveillance of group A streptococcal pharyngitis and impetigo in remote Western Australian school children informs acute rheumatic fever prevention.

Janessa Pickering, Dylan D Barth, Bernadette Wong, Elizabeth McKinnon, Marianne Mullane, Alexandra Whelan, August Mikucki, Rebecca Dalton, Abbey Ford, Gelsa Cinanni and 15 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PLOS global public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

25 authors.

Janessa PickeringWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6441-2456
Dylan D BarthWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Bernadette WongWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Elizabeth McKinnonWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Marianne MullaneWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Alexandra WhelanWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
August MikuckiWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5207-6312
Rebecca DaltonWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Abbey FordWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6425-1012
Gelsa CinanniInstitute for Health Research, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia.
John JosephPathWest Laboratory Medicine, Perth, Australia.
Andrew J HayesDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8038-1656
Mark R DaviesDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Victoria, Australia.
Alana WhitcombeThe Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Nicole J MorelandThe Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6548-637X
Liam BedfordWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Scott WinslowWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
John JackyWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Robyn MacarthurDerby Aboriginal Health Service, Derby, Western Australia, Australia.
Shelley KneeboneDerby Aboriginal Health Service, Derby, Western Australia, Australia.
Narelle OziesDerby Aboriginal Health Service, Derby, Western Australia, Australia.
Delia LawfordBroome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, Broome, Western Australia, Australia.
Jonathan CarapetisWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Asha C BowenWesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, The Kids Research Institute Australia, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Missing Piece Study Surveillance Team

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The prevalence of impetigo and pharyngitis - which are both superficial group A streptococcus (GAS) infections that precede acute rheumatic fever - is poorly defined. Guidelines recommend the early diagnosis of both infections to prevent ARF; however, screening to enable the concurrent detection of these infections in high-risk populations has rarely been performed. In this observational cohort study, children attending one of two schools in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia were assessed for signs and symptoms of impetigo and pharyngitis at repeated screening visits (conducted up to three times per year), and weekly assessments were performed in response to self-reported symptoms. Throat and skin swabs and dried blood spots were collected at screens. Swabs underwent standard microbiological culture and whole genome sequencing was conducted on confirmed GAS isolates. Dried blood spots were assessed for anti-streptococcal antibody titres. A higher-than-anticipated rate of pharyngitis (29.5%), GAS-positive pharyngitis (6.3%) and GAS carriage (9%) was detected, but GAS-positive impetigo was lower (2.6%) compared with previous studies in the Kimberley. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experienced more GAS infections than did children of other ethnicities, whereas anti-streptococcal antibody titres did not differ according to ethnicity. This study provides evidence to support the need for increased investment and resourcing of ARF primary prevention in the Kimberley, due to high rates of GAS infection.

Identifiers

PMID41417811
PMCPMC12716692

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.