Scarlet Fever Health Article

Definition

Scarlet fever is an infection that is caused by a bacteria called streptococcus. The disease is characterized by a sore throat, fever, and a sandpaper-like rash on reddened skin. It is primarily a childhood disease. If scarlet fever is untreated, serious complications such as rheumatic fever (a heart disease) or kidney inflammation (glomerulonephritis) can develop.

Description

Scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, gets its name from the fact that the patient's skin, especially on the cheeks, is flushed. A sore throat and raised rash over much of the body are accompanied by fever and sluggishness (lethargy). The fever usually subsides within a few days and recovery is complete by two weeks. After the fever is gone, the skin on the face and body flakes; the skin on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet peels more dramatically.

This disease primarily affects children ages two to ten. It is highly contagious and is spread by sneezing, coughing, or direct contact. The incubation period is three to five days, with symptoms usually beginning on the second day of the disease, and lasting from four to ten days.

Early in the 20th century, severe scarlet fever epidemics were common. Today, the disease is rare. Although this decline is due in part to the availability of antibiotics, that is not the entire reason since the decline began before the widespread use of antibiotics. One theory is that the strain of bacteria that causes scarlet fever has become weaker with time.

Causes and symptoms

Scarlet fever is caused by Group A streptococcal bacteria (S. pyogenes). Group A streptococci can be highly toxic microbes that can cause strep throat, wound or skin infections, pneumonia, and serious kidney infections, as well as scarlet fever. The Group A streptococci are ß-hemolytic bacteria, which means that the bacteria have the ability to lyse or break red blood cells. The strain of streptococcus that causes scarlet fever is slightly different from the strain that causes most strep throats. The scarlet fever strain of bacteria produces a toxin, called an erythrogenic toxin. This toxin is what causes the skin to flush.

The main symptoms and signs of scarlet fever are fever, lethargy, sore throat, and a bumpy rash that blanches under pressure. The rash appears first on the upper chest and spreads to the neck, abdomen, legs, arms, and in folds of skin such as under the arm or groin. In scarlet fever, the skin around the mouth tends to be pale, while the cheeks are flushed. The patient usually has a "strawberry tongue," in which inflamed bumps on the tongue rise above a bright red coating. Finally, dark red lines (called Pastia's lines) may appear in the creases of skin folds.