To Study the Seroprevalence of Anti-Streptolysin O (ASO) Titers in Children Aged between 5 to 18 Years in Rural and Urban Region in Solan District, Himachal Pradesh: A Hospital based Study

Introduction: Presence of Antistreptolysin O antibodies in a patient’s sera may be an isolated evidence of recent infection by group A or less commonly, group C or G Streptococcus, especially in patients suspected of having a non-suppurative sequel to this infection. Current research aimed to study the seroprevalence of Anti-streptolysin O (ASO) titer in children aged between 5 to 18 years in rural and urban region in Solan district, Himachal Pradesh Material and methods: The study was carried out for 12 months (April 2018April 2019). For ASO testing, the ASO titre was measured by using rapid latex agglutination intended for semi quantitative determination of ASO titre in serum using (ARKRAY) ASO test kit. Results: A total of 664 samples were received in the Laboratory during the study period. Of these, 237 (35.69%) were found to be positive for the presence of ASO titre of >200 IU/mL Conclusions: The prevalence of ASO was found to be highest in the age group (10-14yrs). The presence of elevated streptococcal antibody titres in such a population reflects a high background prevalence of streptococcal infections. Thus, determination of ASO antibodies should be taken into consideration when evaluating group A streptococcus nonpurulent complications.