A controlled study of three methods of prophylaxis against streptococcal infection in a population of rheumatic children. I. Streptococcal infections and recurrences of acute rheumatic fever in the first two years of the study.
RECURRENCES of rheumatic fever can be prevented in a high percentage of patients by carefully maintained, continuous prophylaxis against streptococcal infection.1 2 3 4 Although the effectiveness of several antibacterial agents has been repeatedly demonstrated, no large-scale attempts have been carried out by civilian organizations to obtain definitive, statistically valid epidemiologic data for prophylaxis of rheumatic children. Much of the available information has come from the study of adults in the armed forces under epidemiologic conditions that were not comparable, even for adults, to those of civilian life.5 6 7 During the period in which antistreptococcal prophylaxis has been possible, scattered individual studies of pediatric . . .