What is group A Streptococcus?
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a bacterium commonly found in the throat and on the skin. Group A strep can be present at these sites and cause no symptoms of disease, but they may also cause infections that range from mild to severe and some can even be life-threatening. Most GAS infections are relatively mild illnesses, such as “strep throat” or impetigo, a mild skin infection which is common in children. Occasionally, however, these bacteria can reach parts of the body where bacteria are not usually found, such as the blood, deep muscle and fat tissue, or the lungs. When this happens the infection is said to be invasive. Two of the most severe but least common forms of invasive GAS disease are necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Necrotizing fasciitis (sometimes referred to as “the flesh-eating disease”) is a destructive infection of muscle and fat tissue; streptococcal toxic shock syndrome is a rapidly progressing infection, which causes septic shock and inj
