GAS pharyngitis

Key Words Streptococcus pyogenes GAS pharyngitis animal model non-human primate. 

The most commonly used animal model to study GAS pharyngitis is the mouse upper respiratory tract infection model (14,15,16). However, mice do not develop a true pharyngitis and only a relatively few animals become colonized even when high concentrations of inocula are used. Moreover, in our experience the data obtained with this model are poorly reproducible, and because the blood volume of the mouse is small the ability to easily perform many standard immunologic assays is limited. In addition, several gas virulence factor do not act on mouse molecules. Therefore, the relevance, significance, and usefulness of the murine model of GAS pharyngitis is limited. Several independent studies indicate that non-human primates may provide a more suitable model to study GAS pharyngitis animals are successfully colonized by GAS, and limited data indicate that the infections mimicked the humoral immune response characteristic for human disease (70,77,75,79,20). 

The inadequacies of the mouse model of infection led us to develop a nonhuman primate model of GAS pharyngitis that is a superb phenocopy of human infection and has become the gold-standard model for stodying GAS-host molecular interactions in the upper respiratory tract (21,22,23,24). 

Adverse reactions may include abdominal pain/cramps/discomfort colitis exacerbation constipation diarrhea dyspepsia eructation flatulence/gas nausea vomiting asthenia chills dizziness fever headache malaise/fatigue/weakness sweating pharyngitis rhinitis pruritus rash/spots arthralgia back pain hypertonia myalgia chest pain dysmenorrhea edema flu syndrome pain. 

Azithromycin compared with 10 days of penicillin V for streptococcal pharyngitis in adults revealed similar clinical success rates (99% for both) and eradication of GAS. No difference was seen in antistreptolysin O (ASO) or anti-DNase B seroconversion rates between the groups. 

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