ARCHIVED - 10.0 Areas for Future Research

These public health guidelines for invasive GAS disease have been formulated through a consensus process involving public health officials, as well as experts in adult and pediatric infectious diseases and microbiology, and are based on limited evidence and expert opinion. Risk of subsequent infection among household contacts has been estimated on the basis of very small numbers of subsequent cases in two studies; further studies are needed to quantify this risk more precisely. Studies should also be performed to assess the risk of subsequent infection among non-household close contacts. Although screening is generally not indicated for investigations of invasive GAS disease in CCC, it may be considered in applied research settings to provide further information on the epidemiology of GAS infections in CCC. There is a need to evaluate the efficacy of chemoprophylaxis of close contacts and the effectiveness of different approaches to prophylaxis. As additional evidence becomes available, these guidelines may need to be revisited.