INFECTIONS commonly encountered with petechiae, with or without thrombocytopenia, are sepsis, particularly meningococcemia, scarlet fever, and echovirus illnesses. Petechiae are not included in the excellent description of streptococcosis by Powers and Boisvert,1 nor in the clinical papers of Rantz et al,2 or Stillerman and Bernstein.3 This report describes eight patients with streptococcal pharyngitis who had associated petechiae.
Methods
During the past two years many children were admitted to the contagious unit of Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital with the diagnosis of "possible meningitis" because of a petechial rash. The majority did not have meningitis and it seemed that an appreciable number had group A β-hemolytic streptococci cultured from their throats. Therefore, an attempt was made to define this association more completely.The records of patients discharged from the contagious unit of Cleveland Metropolitan General hospital with a diagnosis of petechial rash, streptococcal pharyngitis, pneumonia, sepsis, or meningitis secondary