Children are especially susceptible to strep infection because their immune systems are not yet fully developed.

Streptococcus in a child can cause both harmless infections and life-threatening disseminated diseases.

Their course depends on the general state of health of the child and the type of bacteria.

What diseases are caused by streptococci, how to recognize a streptococcal infection and which antibiotics are used to treat it, says family medicine doctor Krystyna Shevchenko.

What kind of bacteria

is streptococcus?

Streptococcus (lat. Streptococcus) - the name comes from the Greek "streptos", which means something that bends easily.

This is a type of spherical gram-positive bacteria, aerobic or relatively anaerobic.

Their division occurs along one axis, and therefore they grow in chains or pairs.

In addition to streptococcal pharyngitis, some species of Streptococcus are responsible for many cases of conjunctivitis, meningitis, bacterial pneumonia, endocarditis, erysipelas, and necrotizing fasciitis.

However, many species of streptococci are not pathogenic and are part of the human commensal microbiota in the mouth, skin, gut, and upper respiratory tract (https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/streptococcus-dysgalactiae).

In medicine, beta-hemolytic streptococci of groups A and B are most important. In scientific research and professional literature, purulent streptococci of type A are described by the abbreviation GAS, derived from the English name "group A Streptococcus".

And type B is called Streptococcus agalactiae, they colonize the female reproductive system and can contribute to premature birth, as well as serious infections in mother and child.

Streptococcus in children 

The risk group mainly includes children under the age of 1, who have not yet developed an immune system.

According to estimates, more than 20% of the children's population can be carriers of this pathogenic microorganism, while in the group of adults this level is only 5%.

The main way of infection in children is airborne, sometimes household.

Streptococcal infection most often develops in the cold season, usually in late autumn or early winter.

The incubation period of the disease is different: in the case of skin infections, it is about 5-7 days, and in the case of pharyngitis and tonsillitis, this process is twice as short (2-3 days).

The most common types of streptococcal infection in children and their symptoms

Streptococcus pyogenes - causes sore throat, scarlet fever, otitis.

Most often, strep throat occurs in children of school and preschool age, since the gathering of large groups of people in closed rooms contributes to the spread of infection.

You can suspect streptococcal pharyngitis or scarlet fever in a child if the following symptoms appear:

• severe sore throat

• malaise and fever

• headache,

• white discharge in the throat and enlarged tonsils,

• abdominal pain.

If streptococcus provoked otitis media, ear congestion, hearing loss, headache, and general weakness are noted.

Streptococcus pneumoniae — causes bacterial pneumonia, meningitis, endocarditis. 

The disease can develop as a result of bacterial superinfection on the background of viral pneumonia.

Bacterial pneumonia is a disease with many characteristic symptoms.

The most common clinical manifestations are:

• high temperature,

• chills,

• sweating

• a feeling of general decline in strength and weakness of the body,

• cough, during which yellow or green purulent secretions are coughed up,

• chest pain, usually localized to the sides of the chest, which worsens with deep breathing and coughing.

Sometimes there are non-respiratory symptoms, for example, muscle pain or diarrhea.

How to diagnose and recognize a streptococcal infection in a child

A strep test can be done to diagnose a throat infection, although sometimes specific symptoms are enough for a doctor to make a diagnosis.

The most accurate method of diagnosis is a swab from the child's throat, but it takes several days to get culture results.

Therefore, the rapid test for streptococcus is becoming an increasingly popular study in pediatric offices.

It involves the detection of bacterial antigens in a throat swab, and the whole process takes a few minutes.

The rapid test for streptococci makes it possible to differentiate between bacterial and viral infections and ensures the appointment of antibacterial therapy only when necessary.

Another possibility to diagnose the current infection is the analysis of antibodies to streptolysin-O, a toxin produced by streptococci.

What antibiotic treats streptococcal infection in children

Treatment of streptococcus in children consists in the use of antibiotics, the choice of which depends on the type of bacteria.

Infections in children caused by Streptococcus pyogenes are treated with drugs based on penicillin or erythromycin, and infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae are treated with drugs containing the active ingredient cephalosporin.

It is noteworthy that Streptococcus pyogenes, which causes bacterial angina, is completely sensitive to drugs that contain penicillin, so they are the first-line drugs.

If the patient is diagnosed with an allergy to penicillin, there is a need to prescribe an alternative drug, for example, a macrolide antibiotic.

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