Strep bacteria can cause a range of difficulties, from mild to life-threatening. It spreads through direct physical contact and mucous discharge. Symptoms include sore throat, impetigo, flesh-eating disease, and strep toxic shock syndrome. Antibiotics can help treat the bacteria.
Streptococcus bacteria, also known as strep throat, are contagious germs that are normally found in the lining of a person’s throat. They can cause a wide range of difficulties when a person becomes infected. Problems caused by strep throat range from mild to severe, and antibiotics are often used to treat the bacteria.
Direct physical contact is usually necessary to spread strep bacteria from person to person. When someone becomes infected, they will normally have a thick mucous discharge that carries the bacteria. This is the main way bacteria leave the body. Strep bacteria can also spread through an open wound, but this is a little less common. Because of the way it spreads, symptomatic people are generally much more likely to be contagious than those who simply carry the bacteria.
The usual result of a strep infection is a sore throat, an illness that can be temporarily debilitating, but is usually not life-threatening. A person suffering from a sore throat might have a wide variety of symptoms including severe sore throat, swollen tonsils, fever, and sometimes swollen lymph nodes. A strep throat infection usually goes away on its own within seven days of symptoms first appearing, but if someone visits a doctor, they will generally get a prescription for antibiotics that can speed up the healing process.
Strep bacteria can also cause a skin infection called impetigo, which usually affects children and infants. This disease is often caused when someone scratches a rash and opens the skin, allowing strep bacteria to enter the body. The disease usually expresses itself in the form of blisters that appear on the skin. These blisters can be large or small depending on the type of impetigo infection. The usual treatment is an antibiotic ointment, but some situations call for the use of oral antibiotics.
There are two forms of strep most commonly associated with life-threatening infections. One is necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease. This version of strep occurs when the bacteria enter a wound and begin behaving aggressively, releasing a toxic chemical that generally destroys the victim’s flesh. In some cases, major amputations may be needed to treat carnivorous disease, and it is not uncommon for patients to die. Scientists are uncertain what causes strep throat to behave so aggressively.
The other deadly form of strep infection is called strep toxic shock syndrome. Just like flesh-eating disease, this version of strep usually spreads through an open wound and also involves a strain of the disease with aggressive behavior. Unlike carnivorous disease, strep toxic shock syndrome generally attacks the body’s internal organs, causing rapid organ failure. One of the first primary symptoms is a sharp drop in blood pressure and, soon after, failure of the lungs, kidneys and other major organs can usually be expected. Patients can die from this type of infection because treatment is usually too late to be helpful.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
