About this episode

This episode discusses Group A strep in the pediatric emergency department, covering its clinical presentation and potential complications.

Group A strep in the pediatric ED: from strep throat to invasive disease and toxic shock. Host: Ellen Duncan, MD, PhD Brian Gilberti, MD https://media.blubrry.com/coreem/content.blubrry.com/coreem/Group_A_Strep.mp3 Download Leave a Comment Tags: Infectious Diseases , Pediatrics Show Notes Background Group A strep = Streptococcus pyogenes — gram-positive organism that colonizes the pharynx, but also the perianal and genital mucosa (worth remembering when the source isn’t the throat). Extremely common. The episode cites an estimated ~289 million cases/yr of strep pharyngitis in children 5–14 (NIH). For a U.S.-specific, verifiable anchor: the CDC estimates strep throat drives ~5.2 million outpatient visits/yr in people <65. No true beta-lactam resistance. GAS remains uniformly susceptible to penicillin and amoxicillin. Note this is not true for macrolides/clindamycin — roughly 1 in 3 invasive isolates are now erythromycin/clindamycin resistant. Pathophysiology — the throughline Exotoxins (superantigens) tie the whole spectrum together — they drive scarlet fever , streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) , and are implicated in the Kawasaki overlap discussed below. The…

People in this episode

Host: Ellen Duncan, MD, PhD

Guest: Brian Gilberti, MD

Topics covered

• Group A Strep
• Pediatrics
• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Presentation
• Toxic Shock

Keywords

• Group A strep
• strep throat
• pediatric ED
• invasive disease
• toxic shock
• exotoxins
• clinical findings
• scarlet fever
• Kawasaki

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NIH, CDC

Products: penicillin, amoxicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin

Places: U.S.

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