Pediatric Invasive Group A Streptococcus Characteristics Before, During, and After COVID-19.

Authors

Tsoline Kojaoghlanian, Katja Anuth, Katheryn Cireseanu, Areeba Qazi, Jeremy Silverstein, Maria Bhatti, Rabia Agha

Published in

Clinical pediatrics. Pages 99228261463464. Jun 27, 2026. Epub Jun 27, 2026.

Abstract

Pediatric invasive Group A Streptococcus (iGAS) infections two years before, during, and a year after the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic were analyzed in an urban hospital in the Northeastern United States. Invasive GAS was diagnosed in 38 patients. There were as many infected children post-COVID as in the prior 4.5 years combined. The post-pandemic surge was most striking in late spring. The median age was youngest during the post-pandemic year at 2.3 years. During and after the pandemic, about half the children had concurrent virus detection, and two-thirds had no known chronic comorbidities, highlighting Streptococcus pyogenes' potential for significant morbidity in healthy and young children. The spectrum of iGAS disease manifestations was similar among the 3 time periods, with soft tissue infections predominating overall. Of post-pandemic GAS isolates, 67% were emm1 and 33% were emm12. Preventive efforts of this grave disease at all ages should continue.

PMID:
42365441
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 28 Jun 2026.

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