Streptococcal Pharyngitis and Gram Stains
Authors: RICHARD A. WRIGHT
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1979)

Letters1 August 1979Streptococcal Pharyngitis and Gram StainsRICHARD A. WRIGHT, M.D., ELAINE NORMAN SCHOLES, M.D.RICHARD A. WRIGHT, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, ELAINE NORMAN SCHOLES, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-91-2-322 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the editor: When the rising cost of health care appears insurmountable, seeing health professionals attempting to implement more cost-effective means of delivering health care is encouraging. In an article by Crawford and colleagues in the March 1979 issue (1) "Streptococcal Pharyngitis: Diagnosis by Gram Stains," a cost-effective method of identifying group A streptococcal pharyngitis was proposed. The authors showed that the most cost-effective approach was when diagnostic methods were targeted to high-risk patients. Indeed, selective screening for streptococcal pharyngitis is supported by this country's low rate of acute rheumatic fever and rare occurrence of epidemic streptococcal disease (2). In...References1. CRAWFORDBRANCATOHOLMES GFK. Streptococcal pharyngtitis: diagnosis by Gram stain. Ann Intern Med. 1979;90:293-7. LinkGoogle Scholar2. MCCARTY M. The streptococcus and human disease. Am J Med. 1978;65:717-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. TOMPKINSBURNESCABLE RDW. An analysis of the cost-effectiveness of pharyngitis management and acute rheumatic fever prevention. Ann Intern Med. 1977;86:481-92. LinkGoogle Scholar4. VAN SCOY R. Bacterial sputum cultures: a clinician's viewpoint. Mayo Clin Proc. 1977;52:39-41. MedlineGoogle Scholar5. DIPOALA J. Prognosis of pneumonia: sputum culture and Gram stain. NY State J Med. 1977;77:1259-62. MedlineGoogle Scholar6. STOLLERMAN G The relative rheumatogenicity of strains of group A streptococci. Mod Conc Cardiovasc Dis. 1975;44:35-40. MedlineGoogle Scholar1. HONIKMANMASSELL LB. Guidelines for the selective use of throat culture in the diagnosis of streptococcal respiratory tract infection. Pediatrics. 1971;48:573-81. MedlineGoogle Scholar2. VAN SCOY R. Bacterial sputum cultures: a clinician's viewpoint. Mayo Clin Proc. 1977;52:39-41. MedlineGoogle Scholar3. DIPOALA J. Prognosis of pneumonia: sputum culture and gram stain. NY State J Med. 1977;77:1259-62. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. REINGWALTNEYO'BRIENJENNINGSMANDELL MJWRG. Accuracy of Gram's stain in identifying pneumococci in sputum. JAMA. 1978;239:2671-3. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. MONDZAC A. Throat culture processing in the office: a warning. JAMA. 1967;200:1132-3. Letter. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Eastside Neighborhood Health District Denver Health and Hospitals Denver, CO 80205 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByOffice Microbiology 1 August 1979Volume 91, Issue 2Page: 322-323KeywordsHealth careRheumatic feverStreptococcal pharyngitis Issue Published: 1 August 1979 PDF DownloadLoading ...