[Group A streptococci 1992--a challenge for general practice, hospital and research]

Group A streptococci continue to frequently cause a wide array of infectious diseases. Prompt and reliable diagnosis of such patients and their adequate management are often complex and require substantial degree of both knowledge and suspicion. Modern aspects concerning acute streptococcal pharyngitis, invasive infections, and rheumatic fever represent important challenges for medical doctors working in private praxis, hospital and research. Major achievements in better understanding streptococcal infection include the complex pathogenicity of M-proteins, the perplexing results of uncritically performed throat cultures, the questionable therapeutic dominance of penicillin, and the prospect for active immunization. These changes certainly imply relevant adaption in managing group A streptococcal infections.