It's a common knowledge people face lots of different groups and types of infection. And if their immune system is weakened they may become infected. The article will give a brief outlook of one of the infections' types - streptococcal infection.

Speaking about streptococcal infection it's impossible not to pay attention to the fact that streptococci are considered to be positive cocci, which tend to grow in pairs or chains in clinical specimens.

First, the streptococcal infections were classified into several groups by Rebecca Lancefield in the 1930s. According to modern medical practice, one of the widely spread type of streptococcal infection responsible for most of streptococcal illnesses is called group A infection. It is considered to be one of the most important pathogens encountered in medicine. This group of streptococcal infection is able to cause different diseases of upper respiratory tract and skin, as well as wide variety of invasive systemic infections. It's worth admitting that infection with the mentioned pathogen is causally linked to two potentially serious complications: acute glomerulonephritis and acute rheumatic fever. In recent years, infection with group A streptococcal infection has reemerged as the cause of "toxic shock syndrome" (TSS) and different skin and soft tissue infections.

Be aware that there are some strains of group A infections, which are able to cause more severe infections. Children, adults over 60 years of age and people with weakened immune system are usually at the greater risk. Children may get chickenpox, other people risk to be infected with blood vessel disease, cellulites, diabetes or even cancer. Severe diseases caused by group A streptococcal infection can also affect healthy people with no evident risk factors. For example, as it has been mentioned in recent scientific researches all severe cases of the infections included in the above mentioned group are able to lead the person to multisystem organ failure, shock or even death.

It's necessary to mention that there's a list of important major syndromes associated with streptococcal infection of group A. First of all, scarlet fever, strep throat, various focal infections (for example, pneumonia), skin infections (including cellulites and impetigo) and other ones.
There are several other groups of streptococcal infection - group B, C, D and G. Speaking about infections of group B it's important to mention that they are likely to affect newborns, elderly people or those who are in pre-existing medical conditions (for example, cancer or diabetes). About 40% of children are communicated the group B streptococcal infection by their mothers. Usually pregnant women show no evident causes and symptoms of strep, but are still able to carry bacteria.

The signs of group B streptococcal infection are different depending on the person's age. They can vary from headache, fever, confusion, frequent urination (in non-pregnant adults), abdominal swelling (in pregnant women), shortness and difficulty of breath (in newborns) to seizures and lethargy (in babies between one week and few months).