Streptococcus Group A: Difference between revisions
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Ex. [[Salmonella typhi]] | Ex. [[Salmonella typhi]] | ||
===Transmission of disease=== | ===Transmission of disease=== | ||
"Scarlet fever transmission typically occurs through direct contact with throat mucus, nasal discharge, and saliva of an infected person." (1) The microbe can quickly be spread by droplets being released from a sneeze, cough, or by nasal and oral fluids. It can also be transferred by direct skin to skin contact. (3) The microbe displays great tenacity for life since it seems to cling to any object it encounters. (2) The microbe is very driven since it can live outside of an individual for some time making it very difficult to avoid without the right precautions. It can cling to dishes, cups, toys, and any other accessible surfaces. "If you touch your mouth, nose, or eyes after touching something that has these fluids on them, you may become ill." (4) "Numerous epidemics spread by milk have been reported." (2) One of the biggest problems with the transmission of the microbe is that some individuals are the so called walking or unrecognized case which show minimal evidence such as merely a sore throat. (2) These individuals are carriers for the disease without knowing it and without many of the symptoms of an infected individual making the spread of the microbe very easy among the rest of the healthy unsuspecting population. Avoiding contact with an infected person and with the areas they could have contaminated is the best way to avoid contact with the Streptococcus Group A bacterium. | |||
How is it transmitted? Is there a vector (animal/insect)? | How is it transmitted? Is there a vector (animal/insect)? | ||
===Prevention=== | ===Prevention=== | ||
Revision as of 04:15, 27 August 2009
Introduction
Briefly introduce your topic
Description of [insert name of disease]
Description of the microbe
Include a link if there is an existing microbewiki page. Ex. Salmonella typhi
Transmission of disease
"Scarlet fever transmission typically occurs through direct contact with throat mucus, nasal discharge, and saliva of an infected person." (1) The microbe can quickly be spread by droplets being released from a sneeze, cough, or by nasal and oral fluids. It can also be transferred by direct skin to skin contact. (3) The microbe displays great tenacity for life since it seems to cling to any object it encounters. (2) The microbe is very driven since it can live outside of an individual for some time making it very difficult to avoid without the right precautions. It can cling to dishes, cups, toys, and any other accessible surfaces. "If you touch your mouth, nose, or eyes after touching something that has these fluids on them, you may become ill." (4) "Numerous epidemics spread by milk have been reported." (2) One of the biggest problems with the transmission of the microbe is that some individuals are the so called walking or unrecognized case which show minimal evidence such as merely a sore throat. (2) These individuals are carriers for the disease without knowing it and without many of the symptoms of an infected individual making the spread of the microbe very easy among the rest of the healthy unsuspecting population. Avoiding contact with an infected person and with the areas they could have contaminated is the best way to avoid contact with the Streptococcus Group A bacterium.
How is it transmitted? Is there a vector (animal/insect)?
Prevention
Why is this disease a problem in [name of country]
Do lifestyle/environment/economics/political issues play a role?
What is being done to address this problem
Include anything being done by the local government or groups as well as efforts by non-local groups.
What else could be done to address this problem
Are there solutions that could be successful but haven't been implemented due to political or economic reasons? Are there successful efforts in other countries? Are there reasons why these efforts may or may not be successful in the country you've focused on? etc. etc.
-To analyze the the symptoms and diagnose the disease of an individual, the doctor uses a cotton swab to rub the back of the throat and uses the swab for rapid antigen test or throat culture to check for Streptococcus Group A infection. (1) If test shows positive results for Group A Streptococcus, the doctor will initially prescribe an antibiotic as the main treatment for Scarlet fever. The most common antibiotics used include penicillin, cephalexin, and amoxicillin. These antibiotics should be taken as recommended by the doctor and consumption should not cease until indicated by the prescription.
-The main symptoms of Scarlet fever are body aches, fever, and moderate to severe sore throat. The doctor will recommend over-the-counter drugs such as acetominophen (which is commonly referred to as Tylenol and Datril) or Ibuprofen (which is marketed as Advil, Motrin, and Nuprin). Patients under the age of 20 should not take aspirin unless indicated by the doctor. (2) Sponge baths are also used along with the drugs to help combat high fevers. If skin is itching and burning, best remedies available are vaseline and oil or prescription of cream or lotion. (3) To treat a sore throat doctors recommend cold drinks, frozen desserts, or warm liquids such as soups. "Gargling with saltwater (about half a teaspoon salt to 8 ounces of warm water) and sucking on throat lozenges" (2) can be used to treat this symptom. Parents are also advised to purchase a cool mist humidifier to prevent the air and the throat from becoming too dry and causing more severe soreness. It is also highly recommended that a patient obtains plenty of rest and abstain from strenuous activities.
-Current research on Group A Streptococcus focuses on the production of its unique proteins. There are over 120 different strains that cause a specific group of diseases. "With the support of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), scientists have determined the genetic sequence, or DNA code, for five different strains of the Group A Streptococcus organism." (4) Through studying a certain organism's genes, scientists were able to understand the function of specific proteins which are responsible for virulence of the disease. This information is very valuable and is the basis of the development of the Group A Streptococcus vaccines. These vaccines target specific proteins at different stages of the diseases' development. Doctors and researchers claim that effective vaccines will not only prevent specific symptoms but will also help fight the most serious post-infectious complication. (4) Currently research includes studies of determining the spread of the disease across different countries in an effort to characterize the disease.
References
Edited by [insert your names here!], students of Rachel Larsen
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