The importance of beta hemolytic streptococcus groups in childhood pharyngitis and the comparison of penicillin G procaine and cefuroxime axetile in the treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis [Cocukluk cagi farenjitlerinde beta hemolitik streptokok gruplarinin yeri ve streptokok farenjitlerinin tedavisinde penisilin G prokain ile sefuroksim aksetil in karsilastirilmasi]

Abstract

Group A streptococcus is the most common cause bacterial pharyngitis in childhood. Streptococcal pharyngitis has been usually treated by penicillins. Recent reports suggest that non-group A streptococci has been increasingly described as the cause of bacterial pharyngitis in children. There are also some reports showing that the treatment failure of penicillin therapy has been increased. In this study, the incidence of streptococcal groups isolated from a pediatric population suffering from pharyngitis was investigated and the efficiacy of penicillin G procaine and cefuroxime axetile in therapy was compared. The overall incidence of positive cultures for beta-hemolytic streptococcus in pediatric outpatients with pharyngitis was 20.8 percent. Four hundred-seventeen patients were diagnosed as streptococcal pharyngitis and from 211 (50.6%) group A, from 149 (35.7%) group C, from 40 (9.6%) group B, from 11 (2.6%) group D and from 6 (1.4%) group G streptococci were isolated. Of 417, randomly selected 107 patients were treated with Penicillin G procaine and 90 patients were treated with cefuroxime axetile. The bacteriological eradication failure and clinical cure rates were 14% and 96.3 for penicillin G procaine group, and 12.2% and 97.8% for cefuroxime axetile group, respectively (p>0.05). All patients who have been treated with both of the antibiotics, improved within 48 hours of initiating therapy. As a result, penicillin G procaine was found as effective as cefuroxime axetile for the bacteriological eradication and clinical improvement in children with streptococcal pharyngitis.