Acute rheumatic fever in Tunisia. Serotypes of group A streptococci associated with rheumatic fever.

Abstract : Rheumatic fever (RF) is a serious health threat in our country. The annual incidence of cases of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) in 1990 was 30 per 100,000 school-aged children, the prevalence of rheumatic heart diseases (RHD) was 3–6% in school children. The incidence of ARF have declined in North America and Western Europe over the past four decades. However, recent outbreaks of ARF in the United States have been reported.