Scarlet fever

Scarlet fever is a bacterial infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, also called group A streptococcus, and it is known by the older names scarlatina and, for its rash, a scarlatiniform eruption. It most often affects children between about five and fifteen years of age and usually follows strep throat or a streptococcal skin infection. Its signs are a sore throat, fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes and a fine red rash that blanches under pressure and feels like sandpaper, often with a bright red, bumpy tongue described as strawberry tongue. The rash comes from toxins the bacteria release, and the skin of the fingers and toes may peel afterwards. The germ spreads by coughing and sneezing and by touching contaminated objects. Antibiotics shorten the illness, limit spread and prevent most complications, among them rheumatic fever and kidney disease. The disease was a leading cause of childhood death in the early twentieth century, and its severity declined even before antibiotics. This entry records what is documented and is not medical advice.