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What is Strep Bacteria?

Jacob Queen
Jacob Queen

The strep bacteria, which is also known as streptococcus, are contagious germs normally found in the lining of a person's throat. They can cause a wide range of difficulties when a person gets infected. The problems caused by strep range from minor to severe, and antibiotics are often used to treat the bacteria.

Direct physical contact is generally needed to spread the strep bacteria from person to person. When someone becomes infected, they will normally have a thick mucous discharge carrying the bacteria. This is the main way the bacteria get out of the body. The strep bacteria can also be spread via an open wound, but this is somewhat less common. Due to the way it is spread, symptomatic people are generally much more likely to be contagious than those that simply carry the bacteria.

Strep infection can cause swollen lymph nodes.
Strep infection can cause swollen lymph nodes.

The usual result of a strep infection is strep throat, an illness that can be temporarily debilitating, but is usually not life-threatening. A person suffering from strep throat might have a wide variety of symptoms including severe throat pain, swollen tonsils, fever and sometimes swollen lymph nodes. A strep throat infection will usually go away by itself within seven days after symptoms first appear, but if someone visits a doctor, he will generally get an antibiotic prescription that can speed up the healing process.

Antibiotics are typically used to treat strep bacterial infections.
Antibiotics are typically used to treat strep bacterial infections.

Strep bacteria can also cause a skin infection called impetigo, which generally affects children and toddlers. This illness is often caused when someone scratches a rash and opens up the skin, allowing strep bacteria to enter the body. The disease generally expresses itself in the form of blisters that appear on the skin. These blisters can either be large or small depending on the kind of impetigo infection. The normal treatment is an antibiotic ointment, but some situations require the use of oral antibiotics.

A throat culture may be necessary to determine the presence of strep throat.
A throat culture may be necessary to determine the presence of strep throat.

There are two forms of strep that are most commonly associated with deadly infections. One is necrotizing fasciitis, which is also known as flesh-eating disease. This version of strep happens when the bacteria gets into a wound and starts behaving aggressively, releasing a toxic chemical that generally destroys the victim's flesh. In some cases, major amputations can be required to treat flesh-eating disease, and it is not uncommon for patients to die. Scientists are uncertain about what causes the strep to behave so aggressively.

Proper hand washing helps prevent the spread of strep bacteria.
Proper hand washing helps prevent the spread of strep bacteria.

The other deadly form of strep infection is called streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Much like flesh-eating disease, this version of strep is usually spread through an open wound, and it also involves a strain of the disease with aggressive behavior. Unlike flesh-eating disease, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome generally attacks the body’s internal organs, causing rapid organ failure. One of the primary early symptoms is a large drop in blood pressure, and, quickly after that, failures of the lungs, kidneys and other important organs can generally be expected. Patients can die from this kind of infection because treatment is usually too late to be helpful.

Discussion Comments

Animandel

The part of the article that scared me the most was the part about the streptococcal toxic syndrome. This strep bacteria infection may not get as much news coverage, but it is much more likely to be deadly since it attacks internal organs.

Drentel
@Animandel: Don't worry too much about the risk of contracting a flesh-eating disease. The Necrotizing fasciitis bacterial infection, which causes the eating away of soft tissue in the body, is rare. One reason you hear as much about the infection as you do is because the illness is rare and it makes a good news story.

People are more likely to read a newspaper article that talks about a person whose flesh is being consumed than they are to read a story about a person with an average case of strep throat.

Another important fact to remember is that not all cases of flesh-eating infections are not caused by step bacteria. They can be caused by a number of different bacteria groups. What's known as group A strep just happens to be the most common cause--but not the only one.

Animandel

I have had strep throat bacteria, and the illness was definitely no fun, but I was surprised to learn from the article that the strep bacteria is associated with flesh-eating disease. Strep throat can be debilitating, but the flesh eating disease is on another level of scary.

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    • Strep infection can cause swollen lymph nodes.
      By: Klaus Eppele
      Strep infection can cause swollen lymph nodes.
    • Antibiotics are typically used to treat strep bacterial infections.
      By: ACphoto
      Antibiotics are typically used to treat strep bacterial infections.
    • A throat culture may be necessary to determine the presence of strep throat.
      By: JPC-PROD
      A throat culture may be necessary to determine the presence of strep throat.
    • Proper hand washing helps prevent the spread of strep bacteria.
      By: byrdyak
      Proper hand washing helps prevent the spread of strep bacteria.