{"title":"Early Warning and Behavioural Intervention on the Cardiovascular Disease Risk in People Living with HIV: A Multicentre Non-Randomized Controlled Trial.","authors":"Yuyin Zhou, Chunhui Yan, Zhonghua Xia, Xiaowen Lou, Xiangjie Meng, Yaqin Dai, Qin Hong, Zhujun Lian, Xingliang Zhang, Jiaye Liu, Junfang Xu","doi":"10.1007/s40121-026-01394-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40121-026-01394-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection has currently become a manageable chronic disease with the prevalence of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The increase in life expectancy and the rising number of people aged more than 50 years among people living with HIV (PLWH) both indicate an increasing risk of chronic non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD). Moreover, the contribution of traditional risk factors to CVD far outweighs that of HIV-related factors, which indicates that interventions for reducing CVD risk factors in PLWH are urgent.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We designed a multicentre non-randomized controlled trial (nRCT), which incorporated six acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-designated hospitals in Zhejiang Province, and three rounds of surveys were conducted from January 2023 to January 2024. Assessments were performed at baseline, 3 months and 6 months post-intervention, respectively. For the intervention group, PLWH were informed of their 5/10-year CVD risk, on the basis of the assessment in baseline, verbally or online to warn them of the risk of having CVD; at the same time, personalized risky behaviour reinforcement intervention was implemented face-to-face or online for about 15 min. For the control group, PLWH were not informed of the 5/10-year CVD risk and only received routine health education in the clinic without additional intervention. Intervention effects were assessed using 5/10-year CVD risk, health-related behaviours (e.g., smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activities and dietary nutrition), as well as CVD cognitive level. To minimize baseline differences and reduce confounding due to non-treatment factors (e.g., socio-demographic characteristics), propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to construct comparable intervention and control groups, and a generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to estimate the effect of the intervention. This trial was retrospectively registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2500112178) on 11 November 2025.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 948 PLWH were incorporated at baseline, after excluding ineligible participants, including 494 in the intervention group and 454 in the control group. The average age was 42.08 ( ± 11.94) years, with 826 male patients (87.13%). A total of 362 pairs were successfully matched after PSM. After matching, no statistical differences remained between the two groups. After 6 months' intervention, the intervention group showed significant improvements in CVD cognitive level, with a total increase of 2.30 points compared with 0.41 points in the control group (P = 0.028). Additionally, PLWH who almost never drink and have > 8 h of sedentary time per day, increased and decreased 4.54% and 1.46% respectively, compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The 10-year CVD risk decreased by 0.63% in the intervention group and 0.18% in the control group. M","PeriodicalId":13592,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"2669-2697"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13570875/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148591391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sonia Luque, Luis Martínez-Martínez, Ricard Ferrer, Julián Torre-Cisneros, Carlota Moya-Alarcón, Alfonso de Lossada, Marta Maroto-Diaz, James Dennis, Edward Broughton, Maria Gheorghe
{"title":"Broadening the Assessment of Antimicrobial Value: Insights from Two Evaluations of Aztreonam-Avibactam in Spain.","authors":"Sonia Luque, Luis Martínez-Martínez, Ricard Ferrer, Julián Torre-Cisneros, Carlota Moya-Alarcón, Alfonso de Lossada, Marta Maroto-Diaz, James Dennis, Edward Broughton, Maria Gheorghe","doi":"10.1007/s40121-026-01403-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40121-026-01403-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13592,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"2583-2588"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13570836/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148602493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S Elizabeth Williams, Giovanni Checcucci Lisi, Kate Luisi, Kumar Ilangovan, Cassandra Hall-Murray, Kyla Hayford, Elizabeth Begier
{"title":"Response Letter to the Editor Regarding \"Adult RSV Vaccination: What Is the Role of RSV Subgroup in Disease Prevention?\"","authors":"S Elizabeth Williams, Giovanni Checcucci Lisi, Kate Luisi, Kumar Ilangovan, Cassandra Hall-Murray, Kyla Hayford, Elizabeth Begier","doi":"10.1007/s40121-026-01417-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40121-026-01417-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13592,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"2831-2833"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13570841/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148723217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mirna Robert-Du Ry van Beest Holle, Sudhir Venkatesan, Joshua Enxing, Cherish Alex-Wele, Fungwe Jah, Giulia Di Lucchio
{"title":"Higher Pediatric Influenza Vaccination Coverage in Pooled Northern Hemisphere Countries with Public Access to Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine: Implications for Immunization Policy.","authors":"Mirna Robert-Du Ry van Beest Holle, Sudhir Venkatesan, Joshua Enxing, Cherish Alex-Wele, Fungwe Jah, Giulia Di Lucchio","doi":"10.1007/s40121-026-01452-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-026-01452-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Research shows that intranasal live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) availability in addition to injectable inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) is associated with higher influenza vaccination coverage rate (VCR). PEARL explored associations between LAIV availability and overall influenza vaccine uptake in children and adolescents.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>PEARL was a cross-sectional study with ecological analysis using pooled country-level data from Northern Hemisphere countries with national recommendations for pediatric influenza vaccination (2024/25 season). Data sources included supra-national organizations and national public health institutes. LAIV availability was categorized as: none (IIV available); private (IIV available, LAIV accessible through the private market); or public (IIV available, LAIV offered via a publicly funded program). VCR was defined as the proportion of children and adolescents aged 2 to < 18 years receiving any influenza vaccine (LAIV/IIV) during the 2024/25 season. Beta regression assessed the association between LAIV availability and VCR, considering 27 covariates via two approaches: least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression (Model 1); and literature-informed covariate selection (Model 2). Subanalyses assessed the association between LAIV availability (available versus none) and VCR, adjusting for vaccine funding structure (public: full, public: partial [funding restricted to specific age or high-risk groups], or private).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 36 countries, 20 (55.6%) offered IIV and 16 (44.4%) offered LAIV and IIV. Median pediatric influenza VCR across all countries was 11.1%. VCR was higher in countries with publicly funded LAIV programs versus those offering only IIV in both analyses. In the subanalysis, the odds of influenza vaccination were higher in settings with public LAIV availability versus no LAIV availability (Model 1: odds ratio [OR] 2.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.37-5.15; Model 2: OR 1.87, 95% CI 0.66-5.29).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Higher pediatric influenza VCR was observed in settings with publicly funded access to LAIV. This positive association was directionally consistent regardless of vaccine funding structure.</p>","PeriodicalId":13592,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149060574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nucleic Acid-Based Antimicrobial Strategies Against Drug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A Review of Mechanisms of Action and Delivery Approaches.","authors":"Reza Ghasemi, Hamid Heidari","doi":"10.1007/s40121-026-01448-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-026-01448-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus remains one of the major clinical challenges in both community and hospital settings. Increasing rates of resistance to conventional antibiotics have prompted the development of alternative therapeutic strategies capable of selectively targeting essential bacterial functions. Nucleic acid-based antimicrobial strategies have emerged as promising and precise approaches, enabling the inhibition of gene expression, suppression of virulence, restoration of antibiotic susceptibility, and inhibition of bacterial growth in a sequence-specific manner. This review investigates various studies on antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), small RNA-based approaches, and CRISPR-Cas systems against S. aureus, with a focus on their antimicrobial efficacy, mechanisms of action, and delivery strategies. These platforms can target genes involved in cell division, transcription, quorum sensing, biofilm formation, and antibiotic resistance. As efficient intracellular delivery remains a major barrier, multiple carriers-including cell-penetrating peptides, nanoparticles, liposomes, DNA nanostructures, and phagemid-based platforms-have been developed to enhance therapeutic efficacy. It has been demonstrated that optimized delivery systems can substantially improve the stability, cellular uptake, and antibacterial activity of nucleic acid therapeutics. Furthermore, the programmability and high target specificity of these agents is a step forward, facilitating the development of precision antimicrobial therapies with the potential for reduced effects on non-target bacterial populations. Overall, the available data support the potential of nucleic acid-based antimicrobials as promising preclinical adjuncts to conventional antibiotics for combating multidrug-resistant S. aureus.</p>","PeriodicalId":13592,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149037757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Celso Soares Pereira Batista, Laura Escolà-Vergé, Ferran Navarro, Alba Rivera
{"title":"Beyond the Cumulative Antibiogram: A Weighted-Incidence Syndromic Combination Antibiogram to Guide Empirical Therapy of Bloodstream Infections in the Emergency Department.","authors":"Celso Soares Pereira Batista, Laura Escolà-Vergé, Ferran Navarro, Alba Rivera","doi":"10.1007/s40121-026-01437-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-026-01437-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Traditional cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility test report (cAST) have limitations in supporting empiric antibiotic selection decisions. We evaluated the complementary roles of weighted-incidence syndromic combination antibiogram (WISCA) and the traditional cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility test report (cAST) in guiding empirical therapy for bloodstream infections (BSIs) in the emergency department (ED).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed a retrospective cohort study including all consecutive adult BSI episodes attended in the ED of a tertiary-care hospital in Barcelona, Spain (January 2022-December 2024). A hospital cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility test report (cAST) was generated according to standard methodology for pathogens with ≥30 bloodstream isolates. WISCA coverage was calculated for eight monotherapy and six combination empirical regimens by weighting in vitro susceptibility according to pathogen frequency. Coverage was further stratified by infection acquisition (community-acquired vs. healthcare-associated) and source of infection.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1716 BSI episodes were analyzed (median age 78 years; 55.2% male); 69.4% were healthcare-associated and the main source was urinary tract infection (42%). The 1913 isolates recovered were predominantly Gram-negative (70.3%); ESBL-producing Enterobacterales accounted for 24.9% of Enterobacterales. The cAST covered 87.3% of isolates after species grouping, whereas WISCA incorporated all pathogens. Highest WISCA coverage among monotherapies was observed with imipenem (94.8%), meropenem (91.3%), and piperacillin/tazobactam (89.6%). Ceftriaxone coverage increased from 65.1% to 88.7% when combined with amikacin, whereas carbapenem-based combinations provided only limited additional coverage overall (meropenem plus amikacin, 92.8%; meropenem plus vancomycin, 97.6%). Coverage was consistently lower in healthcare-associated than in community-acquired BSIs, particularly for ceftriaxone, fluoroquinolones, and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and was highest in respiratory-source BSIs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>WISCA complements the cAST by providing regimen-level, syndrome- and subgroup-specific coverage estimates, capturing pathogen diversity missed by species-threshold cAST reporting. Integrating WISCA into local antimicrobial-stewardship programs may refine empirical treatment choices for ED bacteremia, especially according to the BSI source and patient-specific characteristics, while supporting judicious use of broad-spectrum agents.</p>","PeriodicalId":13592,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149037793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhenwei Li, Shenjia Gu, Jiajun Li, Guomin Li, Zheng Wu, Hongbo Lin, Kan Chen, Zhexin Xu, Chuanxi Fu
{"title":"Correction: Rising Burden of Herpes Zoster among General Adults and Increased-Risk Groups in Eastern China, 2015-2021: A Population-Based Cohort Study.","authors":"Zhenwei Li, Shenjia Gu, Jiajun Li, Guomin Li, Zheng Wu, Hongbo Lin, Kan Chen, Zhexin Xu, Chuanxi Fu","doi":"10.1007/s40121-026-01445-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-026-01445-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13592,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149030381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura C Antochevis, Letícia O Sudbrack, Robson S Leão, Luiz F Abreu Guimarães, João Paulo Telles, Ândrea C Souza, Maria Helena Rigatto, Verônica F D Rocha, André Afonso M Coelho, Elisa T Mendes, Lívia Kmetzsch, Heryk Motta, Afonso Luís Barth, Alexandre P Zavascki
{"title":"Correction: Molecular Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Causing Healthcare-Associated Bloodstream Infections in Brazil: Results from A Prospective Countrywide Multicenter Study.","authors":"Laura C Antochevis, Letícia O Sudbrack, Robson S Leão, Luiz F Abreu Guimarães, João Paulo Telles, Ândrea C Souza, Maria Helena Rigatto, Verônica F D Rocha, André Afonso M Coelho, Elisa T Mendes, Lívia Kmetzsch, Heryk Motta, Afonso Luís Barth, Alexandre P Zavascki","doi":"10.1007/s40121-026-01446-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-026-01446-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13592,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149024690","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kai-Jie Liu, Yan Gao, Xirui Yang, Yong Xia, Chang Lu, Zhao-Rong Li, Xiyu Chu, Hui Huang, Ping Xu, Mang Shi, Ke Yuan, Huilin Yang
{"title":"Diagnostic Performance and Cost-Effectiveness of BALF mNGS in Older Adults with Pulmonary Infections.","authors":"Kai-Jie Liu, Yan Gao, Xirui Yang, Yong Xia, Chang Lu, Zhao-Rong Li, Xiyu Chu, Hui Huang, Ping Xu, Mang Shi, Ke Yuan, Huilin Yang","doi":"10.1007/s40121-026-01372-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40121-026-01372-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Pulmonary infections in elderly patients cause high morbidity and mortality. Conventional culture has low sensitivity and slow turnaround, delaying targeted therapy. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is an emerging technology, but its diagnostic performance and cost-effectiveness are unclear. This study therefore aims to evaluate its diagnostic performance compared to conventional culture in older adults with pulmonary infections and to assess its cost-effectiveness.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>From March 2020 to March 2023, 522 patients (aged 55-69 years) diagnosed with pulmonary infections were enrolled at Peking University Shenzhen Hospital. Of these, 168 patients underwent simultaneous mNGS and conventional culture testing using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples, while the remaining 354 patients received culture testing alone. Pathogen detection results were compared to assess the diagnostic performance of mNGS versus traditional culture methods. Additionally, cost-effectiveness analyses of the two diagnostic strategies-as well as the impact of mNGS testing timing post-admission-were conducted in the overall cohort and across stratified subgroups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the 168 patients who underwent both tests, mNGS identified a greater diversity and abundance of microorganisms than culture (overall detection: 89.88% vs. 26.79%; pathogen detection: 67.86% vs. 18.45%, p < 0.001). mNGS testing yielded a net economic benefit of 1202.70 CNY per patient overall and 3831.15 CNY among pathogen-positive cases. Delaying mNGS testing tended to be associated with increased hospitalization length of stay (LOS) and costs, with the most pronounced difference observed around 6 days after admission (p < 0.001). Early mNGS testing (within 6 days of admission) provided a net benefit of 6346.00 CNY.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>BALF-based mNGS showed higher positivity rates and a broader pathogen detection spectrum compared to conventional culture methods in this study. Early implementation of mNGS shows strong potential to guide the treatment of pulmonary infections and reduce healthcare costs for elderly and aging patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":13592,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"2365-2380"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13476210/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148337773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicolo' Monti, Giovanni Vitali Rosati, Federica Ravidà, Emanuela Malorgio, Silvia Gambotto, Paolo Becherucci, Elena Chiappini
{"title":"Streptococcal Pharyngitis in Paediatric Primary Care: Clinical Characteristics, Recurrences, Complications, and Antibiotic Management.","authors":"Nicolo' Monti, Giovanni Vitali Rosati, Federica Ravidà, Emanuela Malorgio, Silvia Gambotto, Paolo Becherucci, Elena Chiappini","doi":"10.1007/s40121-026-01411-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40121-026-01411-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis is the most common bacterial infection in childhood. National and international guidelines consistently recommend narrow-spectrum beta-lactams as first-line therapy; however, variability in outpatient management remains substantial. This study aimed to characterize the clinical features, recurrence patterns, and complications of paediatric group A streptococcal pharyngitis in primary care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed a prospective, multicenter observational study coordinated by the Italian Society of Primary Care Paediatrics from August 2024 to June 2025. Sixty-six primary care paediatricians across all Italian regions enrolled children aged 1-18 years with microbiologically confirmed GAS pharyngitis with positive rapid antigen detection test. Collected data included demographics, clinical presentation, antibiotic therapy, recurrences, complications, and microbiological findings. Statistical analyses were conducted using chi-square or Fisher's exact tests, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1464 episodes of GAS pharyngotonsillitis were documented in 1187 children. Among the 1187 children included in the study, 342 (28.8%) were aged < 5 years and 509 (42.9%) were aged 5-8 years. Most cases (99.5%) were uncomplicated, while 7 (0.5%) developed complications, including sinusitis, peritonsillar abscess, and one case of post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis; three patients required hospitalization. Recurrent infections, whether early (≤ 4 weeks) or late, were not associated with a higher risk of complications. Amoxicillin was prescribed as first-line therapy in 77.5% of uncomplicated episodes, and overall, 51.5% of cases were fully adherent to guideline recommendations. Non-adherence was attributable to inappropriate antibiotic selection in 22.9% of episodes and to an incorrect duration of antibiotic therapy in 25.6% of episodes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Paediatric GAS pharyngitis in this nationwide cohort was predominantly benign, with rare complications. Recurrences was not associated with complication risk. Nonetheless, the discrepancy between Italian guideline recommendations and the real-world use of broad-spectrum antibiotics at first episodes underscores the need to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship in primary care.</p>","PeriodicalId":13592,"journal":{"name":"Infectious Diseases and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"2503-2522"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13476393/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148470342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}