This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Steer, A. C.
Right arrow Articles by Carapetis, J. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Steer, A. C.
Right arrow Articles by Carapetis, J. R.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, February 2009, p. 172-175, Vol. 16, No. 2
1071-412X/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.00291-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Normal Ranges of Streptococcal Antibody Titers Are Similar Whether Streptococci Are Endemic to the Setting or Not {triangledown}

Andrew C. Steer,1* Suzanna Vidmar,2 Roselyn Ritika,3 Joseph Kado,3 Michael Batzloff,4 Adam W. J. Jenney,1 John B. Carlin,2 and Jonathan R. Carapetis1,5

Centre for International Child Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,1 Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,2 Fiji Ministry of Health, Suva, Fiji Islands,3 Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia,4 Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia5

Received 6 August 2008/ Returned for modification 12 October 2008/ Accepted 24 November 2008

Group A streptococcal (GAS) serology is used for the diagnosis of post-streptococcal diseases, such as acute rheumatic fever, and occasionally for the diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis. Experts recommend that the upper limits of normal for streptococcal serology be determined for individual populations because of differences in the epidemiology of GAS between populations. Therefore, we performed a study to determine the values of the upper limit of normal for anti-streptolysin O (ASO) and anti-DNase B (ADB) titers in Fiji. Participants with a history of GAS disease, including pharyngitis or impetigo, were excluded. A total of 424 serum samples from people of all ages (with a sample enriched for school-aged children) were tested for their ASO and ADB titers. Reference values, including titers that were 80% of the upper limit of normal, were obtained by regression analysis by use of a curve-fitting method instead of the traditional nonparametric approach. Normal values for both the ASO titer and the ADB titer rose sharply during early childhood and then declined gradually with age. The estimated titers that were 80% of the upper limit or normal at age 10 years were 276 IU/ml for ASO and 499 IU/ml for ADB. Data from our study are similar to those found in countries with temperate climates, suggesting that a uniform upper limit of normal for streptococcal serology may be able to be applied globally.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Centre for International Child Health, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne 3052, Victoria, Australia. Phone: 613 9345 4077. Fax: 613 9345 6667. E-mail: andrew.steer{at}rch.org.au

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 3 December 2008.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, February 2009, p. 172-175, Vol. 16, No. 2
1071-412X/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.00291-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





Copyright © 2010 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»