{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T21:23:08Z","timestamp":1788211388368,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,16]],"date-time":"2025-03-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1742083200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Wroclaw Medical University, Poland","award":["SUBZ.C 170.24.061"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SUBZ.C 170.24.061"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Acute pharyngitis is one of the most prevalent disorders seen in general practitioners\u2019 consultations. Most cases of acute pharyngitis in adults are caused by respiratory viruses and are self-limited. However, clinical manifestations of viral pharyngitis can overlap with bacterial pharyngitis, mainly caused by group A Streptococcus (GAS). A rapid antigen test for GAS can help diagnose streptococcal pharyngitis, but misdiagnosing S. pyogenes infection in a patient with a viral condition can lead to inappropriate antibiotic use. Some patients with a sore throat due to a virus or other causes will test positive for GAS because of carriage. The aim of our study was to analyze rapid strep test results in healthy adults. Methods: A cohort study was conducted in an outpatient clinic in Wroclaw. We used the rapid strep test BIOSYNEX STREP A. Results: A total of 350 healthy volunteers (\u226518 years old) were enrolled in this study. The presence of Streptococcus pyogenes, based on a rapid strep test, was detected in 17 adults (4.9%). The strep test positivity rate was higher in younger adults. Conclusions: In healthy individuals in Poland, the prevalence of pharyngeal carriage of GAS is 4.9%. This finding emphasizes that the rapid antigen detection test should only be used in cases of suspected bacterial pharyngitis to avoid inappropriate antibiotic use.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14062008","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,17]],"date-time":"2025-03-17T04:29:28Z","timestamp":1742185768000},"page":"2008","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Prevalence of Asymptomatic Group A Streptococcus Carriage Based on Rapid Antigen Detection Test in Healthy Adults in Poland"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5772-7839","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martyna","family":"Bia\u0142a","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, Liver Diseases and Acquired Immune Deficiences, Wroclaw Medical University, 51-149 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1457-9899","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Patrycja","family":"Le\u015bnik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7719-6959","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mateusz","family":"Babicki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 51-141 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brygida","family":"Knysz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, Liver Diseases and Acquired Immune Deficiences, Wroclaw Medical University, 51-149 Wroclaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"880","DOI":"10.1080\/0036554021000026952","article-title":"Swedish Study Group on Antibiotic Use. 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Sci."}],"container-title":["Journal of Clinical Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/14\/6\/2008\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T16:54:31Z","timestamp":1760028871000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/14\/6\/2008"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,16]]},"references-count":23,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3]]}},"alternative-id":["jcm14062008"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcm14062008","relation":{},"ISSN":["2077-0383"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2077-0383","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,16]]}}}