La recrudescenza delle infezioni (anche) da streptococco beta-emolitico di gruppo A?

Abstract

Since the beginning of December 2022, unusually high number of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infec-tions among children have been reported across at least five Member States in the European Region (France, Ireland, Sweden, Holland and the United Kingdom). At the moment in Italy there has not yet been a report of an increase in cases of GAS infections, which could be either real or due to the lack of adequate monitoring. It is essential to implement adequate population monitoring systems also for GAS infections and pay particular attention to the clinical pictures that GAS can determine, both slight and dangerously invasive infections (iGAS). The increase in the cases of iGAS, as well as those from viral respiratory infections, is clearly related to the restrictions that have been adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic and only the return to the normal circulation of microbial agents will be able to avoid fur-ther infectious endemic clusters by restoring the “immune debt” phenomenon that has occurred.