A percentage of clinically healthy patients will be chronic carriers of group A beta-hemolytic Streptococci (GABHS).
Up to 16% of pediatric patients under 15 years of age are GABHS carriers, but this rate declines as a person gets older.
A chronic carrier with a throat culture taken for a sore throat will be positive for GABHS.
A patient with acute GABHS pharyngitis will have a raised or rising titer of antistreptolysin O. However, in most cases the clinician will treat with antibiotics rather than perform additional testing.
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