A disease that results from infection with a strain of Streptococcus pyogenes that carries a lysogenic phage with the gene for erythrogenic (rash-inducing) toxin The toxin causes shedding of the skin This is a communicable disease spread by respiratory droplets (See 905)
Scarlet fever is an infectious disease which gives you a painful throat, a high temperature, and red spots on your skin. An acute contagious disease caused by a hemolytic streptococcus, occurring predominantly among children and characterized by a scarlet skin eruption and high fever. Also called scarlatina. scar·la·ti·na a serious infectious illness that mainly affects children, causing a sore throat and red spots on your skin. or scarlatina Acute infectious disease caused by some types of streptococcus bacteria. Fever, sore throat, headache, and, in children, vomiting are followed in two to three days by a rash. The skin peels in about one-third of cases. After a coating disappears, the tongue is swollen, red, and bumpy (strawberry tongue). Glands are usually swollen. Complications frequently involve the sinuses, ears (sometimes with mastoiditis), and neck. Abscesses are common. Nephritis, arthritis, or rheumatic fever may occur later. Treatment involves penicillin, bed rest, and adequate fluid intake. Scarlet fever has become uncommon and much milder since the mid-20th century, independent of the use of antibiotics