• Unlike most forms of viral pharyngitis, however, untreated strep throat can lead to serious complications, such as glomerulonephritis (a kidney disorder) and rheumatic fever (a potentially serious illness that can damage heart valves). (harvard.edu)
  • Overview of Anaerobic Bacteria Bacteria can be classified by their need and tolerance for oxygen: Facultative: Grow aerobically or anaerobically in the presence or absence of oxygen Microaerophilic: Require a low oxygen concentration. (msdmanuals.com)
  • This obscure bacterium causes a severe infection for which almost no treatments exist, and mainly affects people who are already critically ill. (bioedonline.org)
  • The most common cause of sore throat is infection with bacteria or a virus. (harvard.edu)
  • A strep infection also has the potential to spread within the body, causing pockets of pus (abscesses) in the tonsils and in the soft tissue around the throat. (harvard.edu)
  • After reviewing your symptoms, the doctor will ask if you might recently have been exposed to someone with strep throat or any other infection involving the throat, nose or ears. (harvard.edu)
  • Depending on the type of infection and the dosage of clindamycin, the drug can either kill or stop the growth of bacteria . (medicalnewstoday.com)
  • They prescribe it when they cannot use penicillin and when they have determined the type of bacteria involved in the infection. (medicalnewstoday.com)
  • Rheumatic fever (RF) is an illness that occurs as a complication of untreated or inadequately treated strep throat infection. (encyclopedia.com)
  • Though the exact cause of rheumatic fever is unknown, the disease usually follows the contraction of a throat infection caused by a member of the Group A streptococcus (strep) bacteria (called strep throat). (encyclopedia.com)
  • Infective Endocarditis Infective endocarditis is infection of the endocardium, usually with bacteria (commonly, streptococci or staphylococci) or fungi. (msdmanuals.com)
  • The name for the bacterium that causes antibiotic-associated colitis and pseudomembranous colitis is derived--most appropriately--from the Latin word meaning "difficult" or "troublesome. (bcmj.org)
  • Cephalexin is a cephalosporin antibiotic and amoxicillin is a penicillin -type antibiotic. (medicinenet.com)
  • Penicillin was the first true antibiotic to be discovered. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Strep throat is caused by bacteria, which means you need an antibiotic medication to get better. (yourdictionary.com)
  • Technically, "antibiotic" refers only to antimicrobials derived from bacteria or molds but is often (including. (msdmanuals.com)
  • In cases of infectious pharyngitis that are not viral, the cause is almost always a bacterium - usually a group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus, which causes what is commonly called strep throat. (harvard.edu)
  • Like viral pharyngitis, strep throat can spread quickly and easily within a community, especially during late winter and early spring. (harvard.edu)
  • Strep throat - Strep throat and other forms of bacterial pharyngitis cause sore throat, pain with swallowing and a red throat. (harvard.edu)
  • These symptoms tend to be more severe with strep throat compared to viral pharyngitis. (harvard.edu)
  • As a general rule, if you have a prominent cough and nasal symptoms you are more likely to have viral pharyngitis than strep throat. (harvard.edu)
  • If your doctor is quite sure that you have strep throat, he or she may prescribe antibiotics without further testing. (harvard.edu)
  • A rapid strep test is done in your doctor's office, takes only a few minutes to do and detects 80% to 90% of all cases of strep throat. (harvard.edu)
  • The initial strep throat is easily treated with a 10-day course of antibiotics taken orally. (encyclopedia.com)
  • Amoxicillin is effective against many different bacteria including H. influenzae , N. gonorrhoea , E. coli , Pneumococci , Streptococci , and certain strains of Staphylococci . (medicinenet.com)
  • People who are allergic to the cephalosporin class of antibiotics, which are related to the penicillins , for example, cefaclor (Ceclor), cephalexin ( Keflex ), and cefprozil ( Cefzil ), may or may not be allergic to penicillins. (medicinenet.com)
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has for the first time released a list of drug-resistant bacteria that pose the greatest threat to human health - and for which new antibiotics are desperately needed. (bioedonline.org)
  • However, their widespread use has led to drug-resistant strains of bacteria . (yahoo.com)
  • which are usually due to staphylococci and streptococci. (msdmanuals.com)
  • Researchers say the list is a useful reminder of the danger of bacteria that are becoming resistant to antibiotics. (bioedonline.org)
  • The WHO has published a list of 12 bacteria and bacterial families that it says are in most need of new antibiotics. (bioedonline.org)
  • Bacteria that produce this enzyme are resistant to certain classes of antibiotics. (bioedonline.org)
  • Amoxicillin belongs to a class of antibiotics called penicillins . (medicinenet.com)
  • Antibiotics, including cephalexin alter the types of bacteria in the colon and permit overgrowth of a bacterium called Clostridium difficile . (medicinenet.com)
  • In 2002, a report announced that scientists had mapped the genome (genetic material) of an A streptococcus bacterium responsible for acute rheumatic fever. (encyclopedia.com)
  • Research more strongly supports the theory that the disease is caused by an interaction between antibodies produced to fight the group A streptococcus bacteria and the heart tissue. (encyclopedia.com)
  • Due to a resemblance between Group A streptococcus bacteria's antigens and antigens present on the body's own cells, the antibodies mistakenly attack the body itself, specifically heart muscle. (encyclopedia.com)
  • One theory, less supported by research evidence, suggests that the bacteria produce some kind of poisonous chemical (toxin). (encyclopedia.com)
  • About 9,700 cases of invasive diseases linked to strep A were reported in the United States in 1997. (encyclopedia.com)
  • Australian pathologist Howard Florey and his team stabilised penicillin and carried out the first human experiments . (yahoo.com)
  • We searched main literature databases for all studies through December 2012 using the search term "streptococcus suis. (cdc.gov)
  • If there is some uncertainty, the doctor may want to do a strep test. (harvard.edu)
  • Human strep throat infections are caused by Group A streptococcus, a bacterium that is usually passed between people, both those who are ill with the infection and healthy individuals who carry and spread the bacteria without showing signs of illness themselves. (xshotpix.com)
  • Strep throat is caused by group-A streptococcus bacteria. (ppdictionary.com)
  • This inflammation occurs as an overreaction to an infection from the Group A streptococcus bacteria - the pathogen that causes strep throat and scarlet fever. (sesamecare.com)
  • Streptococcus suis, a bacterium that affects pigs, is a neglected pathogen that causes systemic disease in humans. (cdc.gov)
  • He and former graduate student Sonia Zighelboim, PhD, studied South African strains of pneumococci that were a thousand times more resistant to penicillin than any other previous strains and discovered a new bacterial ploy. (medscape.com)
  • Strep throat that affects dogs is a bacterial strand called Streptococcus canis (Group G), whereas the human pathogen is called Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A). ■ Strep throat is rare in dogs and common in humans. (xshotpix.com)
  • Treating the bacterial infection from streptococcus canis depends on where the infection has infiltrated. (xshotpix.com)
  • It targets a wide variety of bacterial species including Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species. (goldbio.com)
  • Penicillins are generally bactericidal, inhibiting the formation of the bacterial cell wall. (emedexpert.com)
  • As originally described by Lancefield, beta-hemolytic streptococci can be divided into many groups based on the antigenic differences in group-specific polysaccharides located in the bacterial cell wall. (medscape.com)
  • Streptococcus suis is a neglected zoonotic pathogen that has caused large outbreaks of sepsis in China ( 1 , 2 ) and has been identified as the most common and the third leading cause of bacterial meningitis in adults in Vietnam and Hong Kong, respectively ( 3 - 5 ). (cdc.gov)
  • If strep throat is not treated with antibiotics, you may be contagious for two to three weeks and at a higher risk for complications such as rheumatic fever. (xshotpix.com)
  • Rheumatic fever is most common in children between the ages of 5-15, corresponding with the ages when strep throat is most likely. (sesamecare.com)
  • Necrotizing fasciitis (occasionally described by the media as 'the flesh-eating bacteria') is a rapidly progressive disease which destroys muscles, fat, and skin tissue. (cchwyo.org)
  • What are the early signs and symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis (flesh eating bacteria)? (cchwyo.org)
  • For necrotizing fasciitis, high dose penicillin and clindamycin are recommended. (cchwyo.org)
  • Although the patient responded to intravenous penicillin and clindamycin, operative débridement was necessary because of clinical suspicion of early necrotizing fasciitis. (medscape.com)
  • show that resistance can be stopped by inactivating a pair of genes responsible for producing molecules called branched muropeptides, the availability of which appears to be essential for the bacterium to survive in the presence of penicillin. (medscape.com)
  • We have known for some time about the connection between the branched muropeptides - structural elements of the pneumococcal cell wall - and penicillin resistance in pneumococcus," says senior author Alexander Tomasz, PhD, professor and head of the Laboratory of Microbiology at Rockefeller. (medscape.com)
  • For the last 20 years, researchers from Tomasz's lab have been studying the biochemical and genetic basis of penicillin resistance in the pneumococcus. (medscape.com)
  • The mechanism of penicillin resistance in clinical isolates of pneumococci was first identified in the Tomasz lab in 1980. (medscape.com)
  • A thorough study by the researchers revealed the PBPs in the penicillin-resistant pneumococci had undergone subtle alterations in their DNA blueprints, reducing the ability of PBPs to bind penicillin, thus providing penicillin resistance to the bacteria. (medscape.com)
  • For penicillin-allergic patients with mild illness, erythromycin can be used, although occasional resistance has been seen. (xshotpix.com)
  • What we want to talk about is why and how bacteria like C-diff and viruses like bird flu develop resistance to antibiotics and antiviral drugs. (jonbarron.org)
  • What this means is that not only are bacteria programmed to "evolve" defenses against antibiotics, but once they produce such a defense, they are also programmed to rapidly share that defense with other bacteria - thus rapidly spreading the resistance. (jonbarron.org)
  • Antibiotics are extremely important in medicine, but unfortunately bacteria are capable of developing resistance to them. (emedexpert.com)
  • More than 20 serologic groups have been identified and designated by letters (eg, A, B, C). Of the non-group A streptococci, group B is the most important human pathogen (the most common cause of neonatal sepsis and bacteremia ), although other groups (particularly group G) have occasionally been implicated as causes of pharyngitis . (medscape.com)
  • In penicillin-susceptible pneumococcal strains, most of the muropeptides are linear in shape. (medscape.com)
  • But in penicillin-resistant strains, "branched" muropeptides - so-called because of the presence of 2 additional amino acids, either a serine and an alanine or 2 alanines, that branch off from the main peptide -are abundant in the cell wall. (medscape.com)
  • Penicillinase-resistant penicillins (e.g. methicillin, oxacillin) are active against beta-lactamase producing bacteria, that inactivates most penicillin antibiotics. (emedexpert.com)
  • Whereas bacteria are single-celled organisms, viruses are far simpler - more primitive even. (jonbarron.org)
  • Bacteria are single-celled organisms, and are natural and normal part of life. (emedexpert.com)
  • Low susceptible rate (27.6%) of CSF isolates was determined to penicillin according to the parenteral meningitis breakpoints, while high susceptible rate (56.9%) of non-CSF isolates was obtained according to the parenteral non-meningitis breakpoints. (dovepress.com)
  • For example, microbes resistant to penicillin have developed cell walls different from the norm and that prevent the penicillin from binding. (jonbarron.org)
  • β-lactams interfere with PBP (penicillin binding protein) activity involved in the final phase of peptidoglycan synthesis. (goldbio.com)
  • After surgery, however, the wounds can leak nutrients, and massive amounts of nutrients are needed to replace what group A strep destroys. (innvista.com)
  • Penicillin is the drug of choice for both mild and severe disease. (xshotpix.com)
  • Pathogenic bacteria cause disease when they are able to gain access to vulnerable parts of the body and multiply rapidly. (emedexpert.com)
  • Although healthy people can get invasive Strep A, people with chronic illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and chronic heart or lung disease, and those who use medications such as steroids have a higher risk. (cchwyo.org)
  • How common is invasive Strep A? (cchwyo.org)
  • Why does invasive Strep A occur? (cchwyo.org)
  • Who is most at risk of getting invasive Strep A? (cchwyo.org)
  • The finding suggests that the branched peptides may be a new drug target for fighting penicillin-resistant bacteria. (medscape.com)
  • And in a second article in the New England Journal of Medicine, health officials said samples of the same bacteria taken from eight US hospitals show it's mutating to become even more resistant to antibiotics. (jonbarron.org)
  • The bottom line is that C-diff has grown resistant to antibiotics that work against other colon bacteria. (jonbarron.org)
  • Bacteria resistant to most of the other antibiotics of choice have also appeared and proliferated on a regular basis. (jonbarron.org)
  • Just one year later, vancomycin resistant Staph bacteria were observed with the same gene. (jonbarron.org)
  • Resistant bacteria do not respond to the antibiotics and continue to cause the illness. (emedexpert.com)
  • Penicillin was discovered (actually rediscovered) by Dr. Alexander Fleming in 1928. (jonbarron.org)
  • Penicillin, for example, kills bacteria by attaching to their cell walls and then breeching those walls, thus killing the bacteria. (jonbarron.org)
  • One of the best ways to prevent the spread of strep is by making sure that you wash your hands thoroughly before treating your dog for any injuries. (xshotpix.com)
  • Group B streptococci generally cause such diseases as neonatal meningitis and sepsis. (innvista.com)
  • Occasionally these bacteria can cause severe and even life-threatening diseases. (cchwyo.org)
  • Severe, sometimes life-threatening, Strep A may occur when bacteria get into parts of the body where bacteria usually are not found, such as the blood, muscle, or the lungs. (cchwyo.org)
  • Members of both classes interact with a number of components in the cells of these bacteria, so the cellular targets are also considered. (springer.com)
  • Streptococci are often found as normal flora of healthy people. (innvista.com)
  • The Group A streptococcus bacterium contains a protein similar to a protein found in the body's tissue. (sesamecare.com)
  • The bacteria have been divided into eighteen major groups according to the Lancefield system, designated A through R. Group A can be further subdivided into some eighty types based on differences in the antigen called the M protein, important because it is responsible for virulence. (innvista.com)
  • Any population of organisms, bacteria included, naturally includes variants with unusual traits - in this case, the ability to withstand a particular antibiotic's attack. (jonbarron.org)
  • Does Group A strep go away? (xshotpix.com)
  • [ 1 ] During the winter and spring in temperate climates, up to 20% of asymptomatic school-aged children may be group A streptococcus carriers. (medscape.com)
  • Presumptive identification of a strain as a group A streptococcus can also be made on the basis of production of the enzyme L-pyrrolidonyl-beta-naphthylamide (PYRase). (medscape.com)