Diagnosis of rheumatic infections caused by group a Streptococcus pyogenes: Future investigation by nanotechnology

Group A Streptococcal (GAS) infections can lead to the development of severe post infectious sequelae such as rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Streptococcal infections are the major health concern in developing countries and in indigenous populations of developed nations. Historically a throat culture was used to confirm GAS infections. Different, rapid methods are developed for the diagnosis of the infections of Streptococcus pyogenes to immunologically detect the bacteria using the procedures such as latex agglutination assay, co-agglutination assay; enzyme immunoassay, gold particle assay and liposomes immunoassay have been developed. Recently nucleotide probes methods are also used for the diagnosis of GAS infections. Advancement in nanotechnology can be use to develop nanosensor and micro-electro-mechanical system for diagnosing streptococcal infections.