Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

A Murine Model of Group B Streptococcus Vaginal Colonization
Published on: November 16, 2016
Outbreak of group A streptococcus septicemia in children. Clinical, epidemiologic, and microbiological correlates
M C Wheeler1, M H Roe, E L Kaplan
1Section of Epidemiology, Children's Hospital, Denver, CO 80218.
Objective:
To determine the epidemiologic, clinical, and microbiological features of group A streptococcus septicemia in children.
Design:
A descriptive series of 34 cases over an 11-year period from 1980 through 1990.
Setting:
An academically affiliated tertiary-care pediatric hospital, the principal referral center for the state of Colorado and surrounding states.
Participants:
Thirty-four patients with positive blood cultures for group A streptococcus (33 medical records were available).
Main Outcome Measures:
Yearly incidence and clinical features of cases; microbiological features of isolated organisms.
Results:
There was a significant increase (P = .01) in the incidence of group A streptococcus bacteremia over an 11-year period, with 14 (41%) of these cases occurring in 1989 and 1990. Patients had a rapidly progressing illness, usually without preceding pharyngitis. The prominent M and T types were 1 (4) and 12 (4). Eleven (73%) of the 15 strains produced pyrogenic exotoxin B that significantly correlated with production of proteinase.
Conclusion:
There appears to be an increase in group A streptococcus bacteremia in children that is associated with a strain phenotype that suggests a change in organism virulence.
Related Concept Videos
Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection
The integrity and count of the white blood cells help the body resist pathogens and fight infection. When impaired, it reduces the body's resistance to pathogens. The acidic pH levels of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts, and skin create...
Investigation of Disease Outbreaks
Staphylococcal Skin Infections
Streptococcal Pharyngitis
Bacterial Meningitis I: Introduction
Bacterial Meningitis II: Pathophysiology

