Although group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) infections typically cause symptoms such as “strep throat”, research at the time began to look at their connection to PANDAS — the sudden onset of OCD symptoms after such infections in some children which seemed to resolve after antibiotic treatment.

This study by Drs. Murphy and Lynd-Balta aimed to explore how PANDAS is linked to GABHS through investigating blood serum samples for antibodies, with the goal to find how specific brain regions and inflammation are linked to GABHS.