Streptoccal Pharyngitis Case Study

Last january, I caught a disease called strep throat. I felt terrible and just wanted to sleep. I went to the doctor. She gave me some medicine. The doctor gave me a strep test and it was positive. At first, my throat felt sore and itchy. Strep throat is very contajus, so I got to stay home for a few days. After a week, my throat cleared up and I felt much better. It was great to feel healthy again.

Ms. T is an eight year old African American female that presents to Dr. Bill’s Kids today with complaints of her tonsils bothering her again. She has been to this office three times in the past three months with complaints of swollen tonsils and painful swallowing. Each time, she has tested positive for Group A Streptococcus also known as GAS. Her mother is with her today and reports that she had strep throat in the past multiple times about two or three times a year, but it is becoming much more frequent. She began complaining of scratchy throat in the morning and at night, but the symptoms quickly progressed to painful swallowing of solids and liquids. Popsicles are the only thing she will even consider eating at this time because they alleviate the pain.

What are these other serious illnesses that are caused by group A Streptococcus? What is group A Streptococcus? Group A streptococci are bacteria commonly found in the throat and on the skin. The vast majority of GAS infections are relatively mild illnesses, such as strep throat and impetigo. Occasionally, however, these bacteria can cause much more severe and even life threatening diseases such as necrotizing fasciitis (occasionally described as "the flesh-eating bacteria") and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). In addition, people may carry group A streptococci in the throat or on the skin and have no symptoms of disease.

Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as Group A streptococcus (GAS), is a β-hemolytic, Gram-positive bacterium that most commonly causes respiratory disease, including pharyngitis or tonsillitis, as well as skin infections such as impetigo and cellulitis. The organism is transmitted via respiratory droplets or by contact with fomites, and commonly infects young children. In addition to the common clinical presentations associated with S. pyogenes, some individuals develop the postinfectious sequelae of rheumatic fever and glomerulonephritis. Due to the severity of these medical consequences, prophylactic antibiotic use is often recommended for any patients with otherwise mild S. pyogenes infections (21).

Initial diagnosis of Streptococcal pharyngitis is determined by a point system awarding 1 point for each of the following; temperature greater than 38 C, absence of cough, tender anterior cervical lymph nodes, tonsillar swelling, age younger than 15, subtracting a point for age older than 45. If these symptoms are met, a rapid strep test will be performed before antibiotics are given, a precaution taken to prevent super-bugs from developing.

It is caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheria and can be spread through airborne droplets, contaminated personal items, such as used tissue, and contaminated household items. The main symptom of Diphtheria is a thick, gray material covering the back of the throat. Other symptoms include difficulty breathing, nasal discharge, fever, chills, and malaise. In order to determine Diphtheria is present, a throat culture is usually done for diagnosis. The first line of treatment is IV antibiotics which neutralize the diphtheria. Nursing interventions are to keep the patient isolated and to make sure the patient gets plenty of rest.

Acute tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils secondary to an infectious process causing painful swallowing and is more commonly attributed to a viral cause rather than bacterial (Shepherd, 2013). A physical assessment of the tonsils may reveal an increase in size with edema and erythema. This is often associated with upper respiratory symptoms like, headache and cough (Shepherd, 2013). Another diagnosis is pharyngitis. Pharyngitis is also a sore throat which is secondary to inflammation noted at the back of the throat and associated with complaints of pain when swallowing (Shepherd, 2013). Viral pharyngitis is the most common and can be contributed to the rhino or coronavirus which lasts between 5-7 days and presents with associated symptoms like cough, headache, fatigue and mild fever (Ruppert & Fay, 2015). Finally, GABHS or more commonly noted as strep throat is a potential diagnosis. This bacterial infection is most common in children and adolescents. Often individuals present with symptoms including throat pain, fever, chills, headache, cervical lymphadenopathy and exudate noted to tonsils or in the pharyngeal (Ruppert & Fay, 2015). This infectious process in younger children may also present with gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain but is not accompanied by cough or nasal

Strep throat is an infection of the tonsils and/or throat caused by the bacteria streptococcus pyogenes (group A strep), and streptococcal bacteria are highly contagious. Symptoms include sore throat, fever, and trouble swallowing. Children may also experience stomachache, vomiting, and headache. Signs of strep throat are white dots on the tonsils, and/or redness in the throat. How is strep throat spread? It can be spread through the air when someone with strep throat coughs, sneezes, or breathes.

Strep throat is a caused by streptococcus that take over the cells in the throat. It affects the immune system. The immune system is a system that fights back pathogens. If germs infect the immune system, it can cause you to get sick. “The immune response controls the immune system.” (Human Biology and Health 148). “The cells of the immune system can choose between different kinds of pathogens. The immune system cells react to each kind of pathogen with a defense targeted specifically at those pathogens.” (Human Biology and Health 148). “The white blood cells that choose between different kinds of pathogens are called lymphocytes. There are two big kinds of lymphocytes, T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes, otherwise known as B cells and T cells that work together to destroy pathogens such as flu viruses.” (Human Biology and Health 148).

Strep Throat is an infection of the tonsils and pharynx. Its symptoms include: sore throat, high fever, chills, headache, swollen lymph nodes and trouble swallowing. This disease usually effects school aged children. It is very contagious, and is spread through close contact with those individuals coughing and sneezing. Once strep is identified as the pathogen, with a rapid strep test, the doctor will prescribe a drug in the penicillin family as treatment. Penicillin attacks the cell wall of the bacteria as it is trying to replicate. This decreases the amount of new bacteria forming in the body, giving the immune system time to attack the foreign agent.

For some reason my sister also gets strep a lot, they told us it was due to eating a lot of ice. My sister also has never had tonsillitis. While doing research I found that Strep and tonsillitis both are an infection causing the throat to become sore. The only real difference is with strep the patient will experience sever soreness to their throat. With tonsillitis the tonsils are inflamed and strep it‘s a specific bacteria that also inflame the throat. I’ve attached a great article on the difference between the two

Streptococcus pneumoniae is found worldwide. The common host is the human body, in which it often does not cause disease but at other times it can cause diseses in particular, pneumonia. It also causes otitis media, bacteremia, meningitis, peritonitis, and sinusitis. The route by which this organism is spread is from human to human in the form of aerosol droplets. When inside the host the organism’s primary site of pneumococcal colonization is the nasopharynx. From this site it can aspire to the lungs, eventually spread to the blood and traverse the blood-brain barrier to the meninges, once inside the blood it can cause infections throughout the body. Symptoms of the disease include sudden

Tuberculosis is spread by inhalation or ingestion of the bacteria, either directly through infected milk, the placenta or ingesting contaminated food and water, or indirectly through environmental conditions such as being where infected badgers have been (DARDNI, 2013). Bovine TB can take months or even years to start showing signs which is why it is important to test cattle regularly. This is done with the Single Intradermal Comparative Cervical Tuberculin test (SICCT). Both the bovine and avian form of tuberculosis is injected side by side into the neck. After 72 hours, the site is re-checked for a reaction. A bovine TB infected cow will show more swelling on the bovine tuberculin site than on the avian tuberculin site, thus proving that the cow is a reactor for bovine

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic bacterial infection that affects millions of people globally. It is a contagious disease that is spread through the air, and it usually affects the lungs. It is transmitted from person to person through droplets from the respiratory tract of those who are already infected with the disease. Some who are infected with the bacteria that causes TB often exhibit no symptoms, because their immune systems stop the bacteria from growing and multiplying. Those with compromised immune systems are more susceptible to developing the full blown disease which can cause symptoms that include coughing, spitting blood, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, and fever. Tuberculosis can be treated with a six to nine month course of a combination of antibiotics. If left untreated, TB will spread and can be fatal.

Tuberculosis does show any different physical signs than regular tuberculosis. Both forms of tuberculosis show coughing for more than 3 weeks, coughing up blood or mucus, chest pain, fatigue/weakness, weight loss and loss of appetite, fever, and chills (1). Tuberculosis is easily caught by a new patient because the air that is contaminated by a carrier of the bacteria who has been in the room for a rather long time. Meaning if a person visits the carrier and goes into the carrier’s bedroom for an extended length of time, then that person could possibly contract tuberculosis. Not only is immediate contact a key factor in developing tuberculosis, health, where a person lives, and if that person developed tuberculosis in the past. These factors all accumulate and help in the spread of the disease from person to person.