Are Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infections Preventable by Antibiotic Therapy?: A Collaborative Retrospective Study

In winter 2022/2023, a resurgence of invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) infections in children was observed in Europe, including Germany and Switzerland. While a simultaneous increase in consultations for scarlet fever and pharyngitis was reported in England, leading to the recommendation to treat any suspected GAS disease with antibiotics, guidelines in Germany and Switzerland remained unchanged. We aimed to investigate whether this policy was appropriate.