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Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04403-y
09 December 2022
Why is strep A surging — and how worried are scientists?
The tragic deaths of 13 children in England and an unusual rise in autumn cases have put researchers on alert.
Heidi Ledford
As the days lengthen and temperatures rise each spring, British paediatricians know what to expect: an increase in group A streptococcal infections that should tail off by the summer. But an off-season outbreak of the bacterial infections this year has jumbled expectations, made scores of people ill and killed 13 children under the age of 15 in England since September.
“To my knowledge, we’ve never seen a peak like this at this time of year, at least not for decades,” says microbiologist Shiranee Sriskandan at Imperial College London.
One theory is that lack of exposure to group A Streptococcus (strep A) during lockdowns at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic means that young children lack immunity against the bacteria. But it is too early to say for certain if this is behind the strep A surge, says molecular microbiologist Claire Turner at the University of Sheffield, UK.
“There are a lot of things that seem to be a bit strange happening after the lockdowns,” she says “But it’s hard to say whether that’s causing the surge right now, especially given that we have had surges prior to the pandemic.”
Scarlet fever
A strep A infection most often presents as a mild sore throat (often called strep throat) or skin infection. Occasionally, this can lead to a condition called scarlet fever, which typically affects young schoolchildren and is characterized by a sore throat, high fever and rough skin rash. If caught in time, strep A infections can usually be treated with antibiotics.
In rare instances, strep A can lead to a more serious condition called invasive group A streptococcal infection, particularly in people with compromised immune systems. This can cause conditions including meningitis, toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis, a swiftly progressing infection of the tissue under the skin that is sometimes called flesh-eating disease...
09 December 2022
Why is strep A surging — and how worried are scientists?
The tragic deaths of 13 children in England and an unusual rise in autumn cases have put researchers on alert.
Heidi Ledford
As the days lengthen and temperatures rise each spring, British paediatricians know what to expect: an increase in group A streptococcal infections that should tail off by the summer. But an off-season outbreak of the bacterial infections this year has jumbled expectations, made scores of people ill and killed 13 children under the age of 15 in England since September.
“To my knowledge, we’ve never seen a peak like this at this time of year, at least not for decades,” says microbiologist Shiranee Sriskandan at Imperial College London.
One theory is that lack of exposure to group A Streptococcus (strep A) during lockdowns at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic means that young children lack immunity against the bacteria. But it is too early to say for certain if this is behind the strep A surge, says molecular microbiologist Claire Turner at the University of Sheffield, UK.
“There are a lot of things that seem to be a bit strange happening after the lockdowns,” she says “But it’s hard to say whether that’s causing the surge right now, especially given that we have had surges prior to the pandemic.”
Scarlet fever
A strep A infection most often presents as a mild sore throat (often called strep throat) or skin infection. Occasionally, this can lead to a condition called scarlet fever, which typically affects young schoolchildren and is characterized by a sore throat, high fever and rough skin rash. If caught in time, strep A infections can usually be treated with antibiotics.
In rare instances, strep A can lead to a more serious condition called invasive group A streptococcal infection, particularly in people with compromised immune systems. This can cause conditions including meningitis, toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis, a swiftly progressing infection of the tissue under the skin that is sometimes called flesh-eating disease...