What is scarlet fever?
Scarlet fever is a term used for strep throat with a rash. Strep throat is a throat infection caused by a type of streptococcal bacteria.
What causes scarlet fever?
Scarlet fever is caused by streptococcal (strep) bacteria, the same bacteria that cause strep throat. There are many different strains of strep bacteria, some of which cause more serious illness than others. The type of strep that infects the throat and causes scarlet fever is called group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GABS).
What are the symptoms of scarlet fever?
Symptoms that may occur before the rash include:
? Fever of 38.5°C (101.3°F) or higher.
? Sore throat and difficulty swallowing.
? White or yellow spots or coating on the throat and tonsils.
? Swollen lymph nodes in the neck.
Other symptoms, especially in children, may include general body aches, headache, stomach ache, nausea, vomiting, or listlessness. Scarlet fever usually doesn't occur with cold symptoms, such as sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, or cough.
Red spots begin to appear on the roof of the mouth (palate) about 2 to 3 days after symptoms first appear. Bright red spots may appear on the tongue, giving it an appearance called "strawberry tongue."
The most noticeable symptom of scarlet fever is a rough, red rash that feels like fine sandpaper. The rash begins on the chest and abdomen and then spreads over the rest of the body within 24 hours. The rash and redness are more apparent in skin folds, especially in the groin, armpits, and elbow creases. It usually fades in about a week, and at that time the skin may begin to peel.
Treating Scarlet Fever
If you have a rash and the doctor suspects scarlet fever, he or she will usually take a throat culture (a painless swab of throat secretions) to see if the bacteria grow in the laboratory. Once a strep infection is confirmed, the doctor will likely prescribe an antibiotic for your child to be taken for about 10 days.
How Scarlet Fever is passed from one person to another
The bacterial infection that causes scarlet fever is contagious. A child who has scarlet fever can spread the bacteria to others through nasal and throat fluids by sneezing and coughing. If a child has a skin infection caused by strep bacteria, like impetigo, it can be passed through contact with the skin.
Symptoms, which include diarrhea and abdominal pain, usually begin two to eight days after a person has been exposed to the bacteria and resolve within a week.
"Streptococcal pharyngitis," more commonly known as strep throat, usually appears suddenly with severe sore throat pain and is highly contagious. Immediate treatment is required and will cost $111 at an urgent care clinic and $531 at an ER.
The 1878 yellow fever epidemic in Memphis proved to be fatal, killing almost all who got infected. The disease traveled up from New Orleans infecting and killing many on its way. Memphis was going through reconstruction and was becoming the center for merchants and travelers. Furthermore, Memphis began to become overly populated only increasing the devastation that would be caused by the yellow fever. This was a confusing period were even medical professionals did not know where the disease came from or how they could to stop it. The epidemic caused panic and challenged the state government of Tennessee and made changes to it that are still in effect today.
Even though S. aureus is mainly associated with food poisoning, the bacterium can penetrate the skin or other mucous membranes to invade a range of tissues which will cause a variety of infections. Superficial infection of the skin can cause boils, impetigo, styes (infection of the glands or hair follicles of the eyelids), folliculitis, and furnacles. All of these infections are charac...
(Nemours, 1995-2011) The two main bacteria precipitating Impetigo are staphylococcus aureus, the most common cause, and streptococcus pyogenes. If left untreated, streptococcus pyogenes can also cause post-streptococcal glumerulonephritis, or a disease that causes inflammation of the kidney to occur following a strep throat infection. Although this is rare, standard precautions must still be taken to prevent these repercussions. Staphylococcus aureus and streptococcus pyogenes are the main causes of impetigo, but they are not the only.
Necrotizing fasciitis is caused most commonly by Streptococcus pyogenes, group A streptococcus, which is the same bacteria that causes common strep throat 8.
Cellulitis is an acute spreading bacterial infection of the connective tissue, dermis and subcutaneous layers of the skin (ProQuest 07/2012 pg.5). Characterized by redness, swelling, warmth, tight/shiny skin and pain. It is sometimes accompanied by fever, swollen lymph nodes, chills and fatigue. Cellulitis first appears on pink-to-red minimally inflamed skin. The area of infection rapidly becomes deeper red and increases in size as the infection spreads. Occasionally, red streaks may radiate outward from cellulitis. Blisters or pus filled bumps may also be present (skinsight 12/2012 pg.5). The main culprit is the bacteria Streptococcus and Staphylococcus which can enter through a break in the skin.
It was spread very slowly and less broadly than other viral illnesses which took a long time to identify the infection in the first two weeks. Infection of smallpox started to grow between 7 to 10 days when the scabs formed into bruises. The signs and symptoms of this disease include high fever, widespread rashes, redness, muscle pain, headache, common cold, vomiting, nausea and many more. Consequently, the virus was found in the bone marrow along with bloodstream in huge numbers. There are different types of the smallpox disease with other classifications.
There are a few different ways to diagnosis Rocky Mountain spotted fever. One way is through blood testing, but in some cases, a positive result does not always show in blood culturses unless the patient has a severe, late-stage infection of (RMSF). Laboratory tests can confirm the presence of antibodies to (RMSF), but these do not appear until between 7 and 10 days after the onset of symptoms. Biopsy of the rash may be performed but this test is accurate only 70 percent of the time. Typically when a doctor suspects Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, treatment will be given to the patient even without confirmation from the lab findings (Berry, 2017).
Anthrax is a very real and dangerous threat to all people who come in contact with it. The bacterial infection is caused by the bacteriaium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax is divided into three categories all are contracted in different ways. The first type is called Cutaneous Anthrax; this is where anthrax spores make contact with the skin. If there is a cut or a lesion then a person can be infected. Cutaneous Anthrax is the most common way to get anthrax, but is also the least lethal. The second type of anthrax is called Pulmonary Anthrax this is where a person inhales the spores of anthrax directly into the lungs. If this type of anthrax is left untreated it could lead to death. The third type of anthrax is called Gastrointestinal Anthrax, this form results from eating meat from animals that have been infected with the anthrax bacteria. This causes the intestinal tract to become infected and this from is almost always fatal. This particular mode of anthrax has never been seen in the United States.
Streptococcus pyogenes is a very common bacteria found in humans. It is very transmissible and can be caught through the air via coughing or sneezing. This form of Strep. illness is referred to as Streptococcal pharyngitis, also known as Strep. throat, which can complicate into Scarlet Fever. It is also possible to be infected through abrasions of the skin, which can result in cellulitis, impetigo, or even necrotizing fasciitis. Aside from human to human contact, these bacteria can also be found in unpasteurized milk. There is no vaccine for Streptococcal infections, though antibiotics such as penicillin still work very well against them.
What microorganism causes this disease? The microorganism most likely responsible for Sarah's condition is Streptococcus. Specifically Group A Streptococcus, S pyogenes, otherwise known as scarlet fever. “Streptococci are Gram-positive, nonmotile, nonsporeforming, catalase-negative cocci that occur in pairs or chains.” (Patterson, 1996)
There are many symptoms of yellow fever and they vary depending on the severity of the disease. Some of the symptoms are basically normal and would not lead the sufferer to believe that something was seriously wrong. The first symptoms, fever, headache, nausea, and backache are common and appear soon after a patient has contracted t...
It is caused by an RNA virus that changes constantly. Measles symptoms usually include a bad cough, sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, sensitivity to light, and a very high fever. Red patches with white grain like centers appear along the gum line in the mouth two to four days after the first symptoms show. These patches are called Koplik spots because Henry Koplick first noticed them in 1896. The Spots are important to diagnose measles.
If the rapid strep is negative, ask for a strep culture. If any of these tests are positive, the child needs to be put on antibiotics for strep. If strep is negative, the child should have blood tests for strep. If the child has had or been exposed to an illness with prolonged coughing, then your pediatrician may consider testing for a bacteria called mycoplasma. See the PANDAS Physician Network for more information regarding treatments. If you live outside 90 miles of Stanford, parents should have their pediatrician test for