Dr. Greene explains that "beta strep" is the term commonly used to describe Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci, a group of streptococcus bacteria. Dr. Greene reports that beta strep is among the most common disease-causing bacteria in children. Antibiotics are usually successful in treating the infection but with insufficient treatment, the infection can be serious or result in death, as indicated by Dr. Greene. Symptoms of beta strep vary depending on what area of the body they impact.
Strep Throat
When the bacteria infects the respiratory tract, the result can be strep throat. Symptoms of this include sore throat, fever, coughing and sometimes a red rash. Other symptoms, as indicated by the Mayo Clinic, include trouble swallowing, throat pain, redness and swelling of the tonsils, white lesions on the tonsils or throat, swollen glands, headache and sometimes vomiting in children.
Scarlet Fever
Scarlet fever may appear with the usual symptoms of strep throat. KidsHealth.org reports other symptoms of the fever to include the appearance of tiny bumps on the neck and face that may itch, peeling of the skin several days after the rash and a fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Scarlet fever can appear like a bad sunburn and spread across the body.
Strep Pneumonia
Strep penumonia, or streptococcus pneumoniae, presents itself like any other form of pneumonia. The New York Department of Health suggests the infection to have symptoms including fever, chills, headache, ear pain, coughing, chest pain, disorientation, shortness of breath and in some cases neck stiffness.
Impetigo
Impetigo is a very contagious skin infection caused by beta strep bacterial. The Mayo Clinic lists symptoms of the skin infection including red sores that open and ooze before crusting over, itching of the skin affected, painless blisters that are full of fluid and in severe cases the development of painful fluid or pus-filled sores may occur.
