PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Roy, Sumita AU - Kaplan, Edward L. AU - Rodriguez, Benigno AU - Schreiber, John R. AU - Salata, Robert A. AU - Palavecino, Elizabeth AU - John, Chandy C. TI - A Family Cluster of Five Cases of Group A Streptococcal Pneumonia AID - 10.1542/peds.112.1.e61 DP - 2003 Jul 01 TA - Pediatrics PG - e61--e65 VI - 112 IP - 1 4099 - http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/112/1/e61.short 4100 - http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/112/1/e61.full SO - Pediatrics2003 Jul 01; 112 AB - A cluster of 5 family members, a mother and 4 children, were hospitalized for severe group A Streptococcus (GAS) pneumonia. Three family members had complications: sepsis (1), empyema (2), and a sterile parapneumonic effusion (1). Two additional family members had symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, and 1 was hospitalized for these symptoms. GAS was isolated from the blood of 1 patient, the pleural fluid of 2 patients, and the oropharynx of 6 patients. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis testing revealed an identical deoxyribonucleic acid pattern in all 7 isolates. Genotyping revealed the speA gene and serotyping the T-1, M-1 serotype in all isolates. This family cluster of invasive GAS disease is the largest reported to date, with an attack rate of 41.7% (5 of 12 family members). This report provides further support for antibiotic prophylaxis of close contacts of individuals with invasive GAS disease.