Abstract :
Bacterial co-infections with respiratory viral pathogens are very common. This study was designed to investigate the incidence of β-haemolytic streptococci in patients with COVID-19 and study their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. A total of 388 clinical samples were collected from Covid-19 patients who suffering from acute pharyngitis. β-hemolytic isolates were diagnosed using the Vitek 2 system. Streptex agglutination test was used to classify streptococci into different groups. These beta-hemolytic isolates were tested for their production of virulence factors and study their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Results of PCR showed that (260) patients had Covid-19 positive results, and (128) patients had negative results, who have been excluded. The isolation rate of β-hemolytic streptococci bacteria was (113; 43%). By using Streptex agglutination test, β-hemolytic isolates were divided into (59;52.2%) isolates belonged to group A, 7 (6.1) belong to group C, (3; 2.6%) belong to group F, and 44 (38.9) belong to group G. Five (4.4%) isolates were diagnosed as S. anginosus and 39 (34.5%) as S. dysgalactiae equisimilis. All five isolates were lipase and protease producers and had a capsule but they were negative for Nitrocefin disk method. Resistance to antibiotics showed that all isolates were resistant to most of the antibiotic classes tested. This study is considered one of the few studies in Iraq that accomplished for isolation and characterization of bacteria isolated from Covid-19 patients with infected acute pharyngitis. The study concluded that a high rate of Streptococcus dysgalactiae equisimilis (SDE) strains was isolated than Streptococcus anginosus group (SAG) in acute pharyngitis.
