Journal article
Smartphone-based Detection of Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis in Ugandan Children: A Pilot Study
The Pediatric infectious disease journal, Vol.45(10), pp.e412-e415
06/03/2026
DOI: 10.1097/INF.0000000000005306
PMCID: PMC13557463
PMID: 42231073
Abstract
Prompt diagnosis of group A streptococcal pharyngitis is essential for primary prevention of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, yet affordable point-of-care diagnostics remain limited in low-resource settings. We conducted a prospective study among Ugandan children 5-15 years of age presenting with sore throat, comparing smartphone-acquired oropharyngeal videos analyzed using an artificial intelligence-based image recognition model-trained and validated using combined data from Ugandan and US-based cohorts-with microbiologic culture as the reference standard. Among 82 children evaluated with the optimized model, 12 (15%) had culture-confirmed group A streptococcal pharyngitis. The smartphone-based approach demonstrated 100% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI]: 73.5%-100%), 95.7% specificity (95% CI: 88.0%-99.1%) and an overall accuracy of 96.6% (95% CI: 90.0%-99.3%), with an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.93 (95% CI 0.83-1.00). These findings support the potential of smartphone-based artificial intelligence as a rapid, noninvasive diagnostic tool for primary prevention in rheumatic heart disease-endemic settings.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Smartphone-based Detection of Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis in Ugandan Children: A Pilot Study
- Creators
- Joselyn Rwebembera - Children's NationalEmma Ndagire - Infectious Diseases Research CollaborationGloria Kaudha - Uganda Heart InstituteJafesi Pulle - Uganda Management InstituteJuliet Alepere - Infectious Diseases Research CollaborationJane-Liz Nambogo - Infectious Diseases Research CollaborationHenry Kajumbula - Makerere UniversityRachel Sarnacki - Children's NationalMiriam Nakitto - Infectious Diseases Research CollaborationRaymond T Ng - Lions Gate HospitalUdit Gupta - Lions Gate HospitalSteve Rebiffe - Lions Gate HospitalDavid Talan - University of California, Los AngelesPeter Whitehead - Lions Gate HospitalEmmy Okello - Children's NationalNdate Fall - The Core InstituteDavid Bell - Lions Gate HospitalAndrea Beaton - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Pediatric infectious disease journal, Vol.45(10), pp.e412-e415
- DOI
- 10.1097/INF.0000000000005306
- PMID
- 42231073
- PMCID
- PMC13557463
- NLM abbreviation
- Pediatr Infect Dis J
- ISSN
- 1532-0987
- eISSN
- 1532-0987
- Publisher
- Lippincott; PHILADELPHIA
- Grant note
- Thrasher Research Fundhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100005627
All phases of this study were supported by the infrastructure of a parent study, "Reducing New Cases of Rheumatic Heart Disease Through a Community Streptococcal Treatment Program (RESET, ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05276999)"-funded by the Thrasher Research Fund (E.W. "AI" Thrasher grant) with additional support from the Rheumatic Heart Disease Research Collaborative in Uganda and Huron Philanthropy. The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study.
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 06/03/2026
- Academic Unit
- Emergency Medicine; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9985174492802771
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