Products Help Identify _-Hemolytic Streptococci

A range of products has been developed that aid in the culture, identification, and grouping of _-hemolytic streptococci.

Infection with _-hemolytic streptococci (usually group A) results in the production of an erythrogenic toxin. This causes a distinctive ‘scarlet' rash, which is generally accompanied by sore throat, fever, and general malaise, all symptoms of scarlet fever. These generally respond to treatment with antibiotics but there is always the potential for serious immune-mediated outcomes to develop. These include rheumatic fever, glomerulonephritis, osteomyelitis, septicemia, and even death.

Today, these pathogens are a major concern because of the occasional cases of rapidly progressive disease and because of the small risk of serious sequelae in untreated infections. These diseases remain a major worldwide health concern, and effort is being directed toward clarifying the risk and mechanisms of these sequelae and identifying rheumatogenic and nephritogenic strains of streptococci.

Oxoid (Basingstoke, UK) offers a wide range of products for culturing and characterizing _-hemolytic streptococci. Blood agar base no.2 has enhanced nutritional properties that make it suitable for culture of the fastidious streptococci. Colombia blood agar base enables selective isolation of Streptococcus species. Streptococcus grouping kits are also available in wet and dry formulation latex agglutination formats, enabling group A streptococci to be differentiated on the basis of specific carbohydrate antigens. In addition, the Oxoid biochemical identification system (O.B.I.S.) Pyr system facilitates rapid determination of pyrase activity in group A streptococci.



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