Prevention of Rheumatic Fever by Treatment of Streptococcal Infections

Abstract

TREATMENT of streptococcal respiratory disease with antibiotics reduces the subsequent attack rate of acute rheumatic fever. In the reported studies1 2 3 4 5 6 a few patients who apparently received adequate therapy for the acute streptococcal infection subsequently had signs of acute rheumatic fever. The fact that in some patients signs of rheumatic activity continued to develop in spite of therapy of the respiratory illness has stimulated the search for better methods of treatment. In addition, if the causes of such therapeutic failures were known, some clues concerning the pathogenesis of rheumatic fever might become evident.Since the number of reported cases of rheumatic . . .