MSFinals-2322

MSFinals-2322

A 14-year-old girl presents with a 3-day history of fever and polyarthralgia. She has widespread aches in multiple joints, including the hips, wrists and knees. She is normally fit and well, and the only medical history to note was eczema as a child, which she has now grown out of. The patient’s mother mentions that she did have a sore throat around two weeks ago, which was self-limiting. From the history and examination findings, the examining doctor feels that the patient is likely to have rheumatic fever.
Which of the following is most likely to be the cause of rheumatic fever?