Streptococcus

Abstract

Streptococcus is a very heterogeneous genus consisting of several different groups of bacteria causing a diversity of diseases. Frequently encountered streptococcal infections include pneumonia, otitis media, sinusitis, and pharyngitis, with less common but more severe diseases being streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) and necrotizing fasciitis, which are potentially lethal.1, 2 Since conventional laboratory techniques for diagnosis of streptococcal infections suffer from a delay of at least one day in results availability, progress has been made in the development and application of molecular methods for improved identification and differentiation of streptococcal subgroups.3 Infections caused by streptococci are usually treated with antibiotics. Emergence of streptococcal resistance to different types of antibiotics has made the selection of the right antimicrobial therapy increasingly difficult.4 In view of these therapeutic difficulties, vaccines have been developed for certain groups of streptococci to prevent rather than treat streptococcal infections. For other groups, potential vaccines are still under investigation, with the varied nature of streptococcal antigens being the main obstacle to be overcome.1, 2, 5