Question

Name the genus and species of each of these

1. A 23-year-old school teacher saw her physician because of a persistent sore throat and a low grade fever of approximately three days' duration. When her symptoms first began she had taken an oral tetracycline preparation which a neighbor had given her. Physical examination revealed several discrete white to yellow-gray patches of exudate over both tonsillar areas. Marked point tenderness at the angle of the right jaw coincided with palpably enlarged submandibular cervical lymph nodes. After a throat culture was obtained, the patient was given a prescription for an oral penicillin preparation. She was told that she had gram-positive cocci in chains and she started penicillin therapy. She was urged to take a full 10 day course of penicillin, at the end of which time she should report for a follow up throat culture. The patient followed these instructions to the letter; her follow up throat culture, taken 10 days after starting therapy revealed no gram-positive cocci.

What is the microbe?

The microbe is:

Answer 1

The microbe is: Group A $\beta$ hemolytic Streptococci.

Streptococcal pharyngitis commonly known as strep throat is a very common bacterial infection infection in children and is the cause of 15 - 40% sore thoat in childre and 5 - 15 % in adults.The common symptoms include sore throat, fever,red tonsils and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck.Throat culture is the gold standard for diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis.Untreated streptococcal pharyngitis usually resolves within a few days.Treatment with antibiotics shortens the duration of the acute illness by about 16 hours.The primary reason for treatment with antibiotics is to reduce the risk of complications such as rheumatic fever and retropharyngeal abscesses. Antibiotics prevent acute rheumatic fever if given within 9 days of the onset of symptoms.

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