Strep A (Beta) Bacteria from A to Z

What Is Strep A (Streptococcus)?

This bacterial infection, which suddenly made headlines after several children in a row died in the UK due to streptococcal bacteria, can have fatal consequences if not taken seriously.

Strep A is the short name for group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes), a bacterium that can cause an infection that makes your throat feel sore and scratchy. Streptococcus accounts for only a small proportion of sore throats.

Although some sources refer to it as the Strep A virus, it is a pathogen in bacterial form. If you ask what the difference between a virus and a bacterium is, the answer is actually not very complicated. Viruses can only live inside the cells they infect, whereas bacteria are living organisms. Bacteria are therefore known as organisms that can produce their own energy, move and multiply.

If the damage caused by streptococcal bacteria is not treated, it can lead to complications such as kidney inflammation or rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can cause painful, inflamed joints, a specific type of rash or heart valve damage.

Strep throat is most common in children, but it can affect people of all ages. If you or your child have symptoms of strep throat, you can make an appointment for early diagnosis and treatment.

What Causes Strep A (Streptococcal) Infection and How Is It Spread?

Strep throat is caused by infection with a bacterium known as Streptococcus pyogenes, also called group A Streptococcus (popularly known in Türkiye as “Beta”).

Streptococcal bacteria are contagious. They can spread through droplets when someone with the infection coughs or sneezes, or through shared food and drinks. You can also pick up the bacteria from another surface, such as a doorknob, and transfer them to your nose, mouth or eyes.

What Are the Symptoms of Strep A?

“Strep” is an abbreviation of the word Streptococcus, and there are various groups of these bacteria. Most streptococcal infections in humans are caused by group A (Streptococcus pyogenes) and group B (Streptococcus agalactiae) streptococci.

Symptoms that group A strep bacteria (Streptococcus A) can cause include:

• Sore throat or red throat: As a result of a strep throat infection, your tonsils may swell and have white spots on them.
• Scarlet fever: A disease that follows a strep throat infection. It causes a red rash on the body.
• Impetigo: A highly contagious and common skin infection that usually affects children.
• Toxic shock syndrome: This extremely rare condition can develop as a complication of severe (invasive) group A strep infections, for example when the bacteria spread into the body through wounds or skin and soft tissue infections. Toxic shock syndrome associated with tampon use is usually caused by staphylococcal bacteria.
• Flesh-eating bacterial disease: This disease, known as necrotizing fasciitis, is extremely rare. If it is not diagnosed early and treated, it can be fatal.

Group B strep bacteria, on the other hand, can cause blood infections, pneumonia and meningitis in newborns. A screening test during pregnancy will show whether you carry this bacterium. Adults can also get group B strep infections, especially if they are 65 or older or already have health problems. In adults, strep B can cause urinary tract infections, blood infections, skin infections and pneumonia.

Antibiotics Are Used to Treat Strep A (Beta)

Doctors treat strep infection with antibiotics. If you test positive for strep A, staying away from contact with others for 24 hours after starting antibiotics is one of the first steps to take. This prevents the infection in your body from spreading to other people.

If you test positive for strep A, staying away from contact with others for 24 hours after starting antibiotics is one of the first steps to take.

The benefits of antibiotics are as follows:

• Shortening the duration of the illness
• Reducing symptoms
• Preventing the bacteria from spreading to others
• Preventing serious complications such as rheumatic fever

A person with strep throat starts to feel better within just one or two days of starting antibiotics. If you do not feel better within 48 hours of taking antibiotics, you should contact your doctor.

On the other hand, a person who tests positive for strep A but shows no symptoms (that is, a so-called carrier) usually does not need antibiotics. These people are generally very unlikely to spread the bacteria to others or to develop complications.

If a carrier catches a sore throat caused by a virus rather than bacteria, the rapid strep test may come back positive. In these cases, it can be difficult to know what is causing the sore throat. In such situations, the most important thing to do is to make an appointment with your doctor.

Hand Hygiene Saves Lives

The best way to protect yourself from catching or spreading group A Streptococcus (Beta) is to pay attention to hand hygiene. This is especially important after coughing or sneezing and before preparing food or eating.

So what can be done to prevent group A strep infections?

• Cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Throw the tissue in the trash after using it.
• If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper arm or elbow, not your hands.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching surfaces that a sick person has touched.

When Should You See a Doctor?

Be sure to make an appointment with your doctor if you or your child have any of the following signs and symptoms:

• A sore throat accompanied by tender, swollen lymph nodes
• A sore throat lasting longer than 48 hours
• Fever
• A sore throat accompanied by a rash
• Problems breathing or swallowing
• No improvement after 48 hours of antibiotics, if you have been diagnosed with a strep A infection

References:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/

https://www.cdc.gov/groupastrep/diseases-public/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/