Scarlet fever is an acute infectious disease caused by Group A streptococcus that produce erythrogenic exotoxin.
Mode of transmission as same as streptococcal pharyngitis.
Cause : Group A streptococcus infection , most commonly affects children between5-15 years of age.
Incubation period : 1 to 7 days.
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| Strawberry tongue |
Sign and symptoms: fever, chills, toxicity, headache, abdominal pain, and sore throat , swollen lymph node , sandpaper rash , strawberry tongue.
The rash initially appears on the neck, axillae, and groin within 14-48 hours and then becomes generalizes. The rash are finely papular texture and sometimes readily palpable so it is called “sandpaper rash”.
pharynx is swollen erythematous and covered in gray white exudates.
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Circumoral pallor |
Circumoral pallor ( pale around the mouth)
Treatment: penicillin V. if allergy with penicillin erythromycin, clindamycin or 1st generation cephalosporins.
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Pastia lines |
Scarlet Fever Mnemonics
S = Sore Throat
C = Circumoral pallor
A = Antecubital fossa petechiae (Pastia lines)
R = Rash sandpaper
L = Lymphadenopathy
E = Erythrogenic Toxin
T = tongue strawberry
