Scarlet Fever

Question: Can you get scarlet fever without developing a fever? I took my daughter to the doctor today for a rash on her chest and back. She said that she has strep throat which caused scarlet fever. She doesn't have a sore throat and hasn't had one and she hasn't even acted sick? Is this abnormal? Is it possible the doctor is wrong?

Answer: If your child has scarlet fever, he or she may experience these common signs and symptoms: * Red rash that looks like a sunburn and feels like sandpaper * Red lines (Pastia's lines) in folds of skin around the groin, armpits, elbows, knees and neck * Strawberry red and bumpy appearance of the tongue, often covered with a white coating early in the disease * Flushed face with paleness around the mouth * Fever of 101 F (38.3 C) or higher, often with chills * Very sore and red throat, sometimes with white or yellowish patches * Difficulty swallowing * Enlarged glands in the neck (lymph nodes) that are tender to the touch * Nausea or vomiting * Headache The sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes and fever are likely to appear first, while the "scarlet" signs and symptoms of scarlet fever usually appear on the second day of illness. If your child has scarlet fever, the rash and flushing will likely begin on his or her chest and spread to the neck, face, trunk, arms and legs. The rash won't appear on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet. The rash and the redness in the face and tongue usually last about a week. After these scarlet fever symptoms have subsided, the skin affected by the rash often peels. Photos showing scarlet fever The red rash of scarlet fever usually begins on the chest and spreads to the neck, trunk, arms and legs. Causes A bacterium called Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus causes scarlet fever. This is the same bacterial infection that causes strep throat, but the strain of bacteria causing scarlet fever releases toxins that produce the rash, Pastia's lines, flushed face and red tongue. Strep bacteria that cause scarlet fever spread from one person to another by fluids from the mouth and nose. If an infected person coughs or sneezes, the bacteria can become airborne, or the bacteria may be present on things the person touches — a drinking glass or a doorknob. If you're in proximity to an infected person, you may inhale airborne bacteria. If you touch something an infected person has touched and then touch your own nose or mouth, you could pick up the bacteria. The incubation period — the time between exposure and illness — is usually two to four days. If scarlet fever isn't treated, a person may be contagious for a few weeks even after the illness itself has passed. And someone may carry scarlet fever strep bacteria without being sick. Therefore, it's difficult to know if you've been exposed. Scarlet fever strep bacteria can also contaminate food, especially milk, but this mode of transmission isn't as common. Rare causes of scarlet fever Rare causes of scarlet fever are other strains of Streptococcus pyogenes associated with either a skin infection (impetigo) or a uterine infection contracted during childbirth. These cases result in the characteristic fever, rash and other "scarlet" symptoms but not signs and symptoms associated with a throat infection. Risk factors Children 5 to 15 years of age are more likely than other people to get scarlet fever. Scarlet fever strep bacteria spread more easily among people in close contact. If a child carries the bacteria, the disease can spread easily among family members or schoolmates. When to seek medical advice Talk to your doctor if your child has any one of the following signs or symptoms: * A sore throat with a fever * A fever of 102 F (38.9 C) or higher (100 F for infants 6 months old or younger) * A sore throat that doesn't get better within 24 to 48 hours * A sore throat with swollen or tender glands in the neck * A rash * Difficulty swallowing or opening his or her mouth all the way Tests and diagnosis Your doctor will conduct an exam to determine the cause of your child's sore throat, rash and other symptoms. He or she will: * Look at the condition of your child's throat, tonsils and tongue * Feel your child's neck to determine if lymph nodes are enlarged * Assess the appearance and texture of the rash If your doctor suspects strep as the cause of your child's illness, he or she will also swab the back of your child's throat to collect material that may harbor strep bacteria. Tests for the strep bacterium are important because a number of conditions can cause the signs and symptoms of scarlet fever, and these illnesses may require different treatments. If there are no strep bacteria, then some other factor is causing the illness. Your doctor may order one or more of the following laboratory tests: * Throat culture. The sample from your child's throat is examined in a laboratory test in which the bacteria can thrive. Although this is a very reliable test, the results may take as long as two days. * Rapid antigen test. Your doctor may also order a rapid antigen test, sometimes called a rapid strep test, which can detect foreign proteins (antigens) associat

Question: What is the difference between strep throat and scarlet fever? My doctor advised me that my son has strep throat and not scarlet fever. I have looked at descriptions online but both sound the same to me. There obviously a ifference can anyone advise?

Answer: Please see the webpages for more details on Strep throat and Scarlet fever. Streptococcus- A genus of bacteria. Gram-positive cocci, often occuring in chains of varying length. Require enriched media for growth and the colonies are small. Saprophytic (saprophyte-Free living micro-organisms obtaining food from dead and decaying animal or plant tisue) and parasitic species. Pathogenic species produce powerful toxins. In man they are responsible for numerous infections such as scarlatina (scarlet fever), tonsillitis (inflammation of tonsils), erysipelas (an acute, specific,infectious disease, in which there is a spreading, streptococcal inflammation of the skin and subcutaneous tissues, accompanied by fever and constitutional disturbances), endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart-endothelium-most commonly due to rheumatic fever), rheumatic fever, glomerulonephritis ( a term used in bilateral, non-suppurative inflammation of the glomeruli of the kidneys), and wound infections in hospital. Scarlet fever- Infection by haemolytic streptococcus producing a rash. Occurs mainly in children. Begins commonly with a throat infection, leading to pyrexia (fever) and the outbreak of a punctate (dotted or spotted) erythematous (reddening) eruption of the skin. Characteristically the area around the mouth escapes (circumoral palor). In strep throat, there is no such rash.

Question: What are the differences between scarlet fever and yellow fever? I'm doing a project on scarlet fever, and I need to know this soon. -Izzy

Answer: The colour.

Question: What area of the world did Scarlet fever originate from?, and what is the degree of damage caused by it? What area of the world did Scarlet fever originate from?, and what is the degree of damage caused by it?

Answer: Scarlet fever is caused by a bacteria called group A streptococcus (GAS). It produces several exotoxins of which 2 (known as SSPE A and C) causes scarlet fever. This is basically a generalized rash that occurs in several areas of the body. It is also one of the 6 child hood causes of exanthum(rash). It is also known as Scarlatina (from the Italian scarlattina). Infections are common in children because they do not have antibodies against the exotoxins. The main damage is not caused by the scarlet fever, but by the other exotoxins especially SSPE A. It can cause toxic shock that is highly fatal. GAS infections can also cause acute rheumatic fever and acute glomerulonephritis. However this is due to a component known as M proteins.

Question: How long does Scarlet Fever usually take to run its course once you are on antibiotics? Last Saturday night landed me in the hospital with what I thought was the flu and ended up being a shocking diagnosis of scarlet fever.

Answer: It should clear up within a few days to a week. If not, return to your doctor - a different antibiotic may be required.

Question: Is it possible to get scarlet fever more then once? I have had scarlet fever once before and think I might be developing it again. Only it seems to be happening much slower this time and my throat has been sore but not really badly. If it possible to get it twice? Is there anything else like it it could be?

Answer: According to what I know, scarlet fever is one of those conditions that don't come up again after you've already had it, but don't hold me to that, I'm no doctor. It could also be strep developing or just a nasty cold. Either way, you should probably see a doctor to be diagnosed and treated.

Question: What are the symptoms for scarlet fever? because my neighbor has it and was i was around her this past weekend and now i think i'm getting sick and i really hope its not scarlet fever!

Answer: Symptoms of Scarlet Fever The rash is the most striking sign of scarlet fever. It usually begins looking like a bad sunburn with tiny bumps and it may itch. The rash usually appears first on the neck and face, often leaving a clear unaffected area around the mouth. It spreads to the chest and back, then to the rest of the body. In body creases, especially around the underarms and elbows, the rash forms classic red streaks. Areas of rash usually turn white when you press on them. By the sixth day of the infection the rash usually fades, but the affected skin may begin to peel. Aside from the rash, there are usually other symptoms that help to confirm a diagnosis of scarlet fever, including a reddened sore throat, a fever above 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 degrees Celsius), and swollen glands in the neck. The tonsils and back of the throat may be covered with a whitish coating, or appear red, swollen, and dotted with whitish or yellowish specks of pus. Early in the infection, the tongue may have a whitish or yellowish coating. A child with scarlet fever also may have chills, body aches, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. When scarlet fever occurs because of a throat infection, the fever typically stops within 3 to 5 days, and the sore throat passes soon afterward. The scarlet fever rash usually fades on the sixth day after sore throat symptoms began, but skin that was covered by rash may begin to peel. This peeling may last 10 days. With antibiotic treatment, the infection itself is usually cured with a 10-day course of antibiotics, but it may take a few weeks for tonsils and swollen glands to return to normal. In rare cases, scarlet fever may develop from a streptococcal skin infection like impetigo. In these cases, the child may not get a sore throat.

Question: My 4 year old daughter is just recovering from Scarlet Fever now she seems to have a urine infection? She had scarlet fever around 6 weeks ago, she was in hospital twice due to this, over the last 24 hours she has been needing to pee constantly, called doctor and he has given me antibiotic and told me to take a urine sample into the hospital Could this be linked to her recovery from scarlet fever?

Answer: There could be a link. Rarely, inflammation of the kidneys can be a late complication of scarlet fever, caused by the toxin that is released from the strep infection. Then again, this may be a totally unrelated urine infection. Regardless, any urinary problem in a child needs to be checked out and the urine sample should show up if there is any blood or signs of inflammation in your daughter's urine. If you have any concerns or her health seems to be worsening in any way, don't hesitate to take her back to the hospital to be checked. I hope all goes well.

Question: Is this an allergic reaction or the remnants of Scarlet Fever? 11 month old, diagnosed Scarlet Fever last week. Is on Amoxicillian and Prednizone. Just finished the Prednizone and is almost done with the Amox. His rash came back, worse. His face is swollen. He looks awful. He is going to his doc this morning, but I am really concerned. I don't know if he is allergic to the antibiotic or if it's just the fact that the steriod is wearing off and not masking his symptoms anymore.

Answer: I'm not a doctor but i think that if your baby was havin an allergic reaction to the medicine he would have already had one by now, you usually get a reaction with the first or second dose. Has he tried any new foods or been bitten by something? It's probably a good idea for you to take him back to the doctor just in case he was reinfected or the dosage he was perscribed wasn't for long enough or a big enough dose. Good luck and i hope it is nothing serious.

Question: How could my daughter have gotten scarlet fever? Yesterday I had to take my 2 girls to the doctor, which is when they did a swab of her throat and took a look at them and saw all the bumps on them and they told me they have scarlet fever. what are some reasons to why they got it?

Answer: If a strep infection is not treated, or is inadequately treated, it can progress to scarlet fever.

Question: scarlet fever? 3 year old w/red rash face, sandpaper body. He has been to the doctor 3 times in the last 2 weeks - no sore throat or fever doctor now says scarlet fever. Can this be so - he did not give him any medication. Also the has a twin and a one year old brother. Will they get whatever it is. I don't think its scarlet fever. This mother uses sunblock baby somthing w/ a cherry smell. Thank you

Answer: Get a second opinion... firstly scarlet fever is caused by streptococcus...this is a bacterial infection so can be treated with antibiotics...the doctor should have taken a throat swab to see if it is this then prescibe antibiotics. Secondly scarlet fever starts with a sore throat...and the rash should fade within 6 days post the first symptom of a sore throat and they have a temperature and swollen lymph glands. here is a good website on scarlet fever.... http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infecti… Go get a second opinion...