STREPTOCOCCUS GROUP A

Course overview

GROUP A STREPTOCOCCI ARE UBIQUITOUS BACTERIA ENCOUNTERED DAILY, WHICH CAN POTENTIALLY CAUSE A WIDE RANGE OF HUMAN INFECTIONS. GROUP A STREPTOCOCCI (GAS) ARE CLASSIFIED AS GRAM-POSITIVE COCCI THAT CAUSE A RANGE OF DISEASES. GAS CAN BE DIVIDED INTO GREATER THAN 100 DIFFERENT SUBTYPES BASED ON THEIR SURFACE ‘M-PROTEIN.’ INFECTIONS DUE TO GAS RESULT IN ACUTE PHARYNGITIS, IMPETIGO, ERYSIPELAS, AND CELLULITIS. GAS ALSO TENDS TO PRODUCE MANIFESTATIONS OF MORE INVASIVE DISEASES, INCLUDING STREPTOCOCCAL TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME AND NECROTIZING FASCIITIS. IN ADDITION TO ACUTE INFECTION, INFECTIONS DUE TO GAS RESULT IN SEVERAL NONSUPPURATIVE COMPLICATIONS, INCLUDING ACUTE RHEUMATIC FEVER AND POST-STREPTOCOCCAL GLOMERULAR NEPHRITIS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT OF GROUP A STREP INFECTIONS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING AND TREATING PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.