Group A streptococci (Streptococcus pyogenes) are probably best known for causing streptococcal pharyngitis, or strep throat. But they also cause more kinds of disease than any other species of bacteria. Group A streptococci are responsible for diseases that range from mild skin conditions to scarlet fever to rheumatic fever to the devastating and sometimes deadly necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as "flesh-eating bacteria." This revision of Streptococcus (Group A) examines the history, epidemiology, and future prospects for the ongoing battle against group A streptococci, and provides up-to-date information on research breakthroughs and the latest outbreaks of group A diseases. Updates include information on antibiotic resistance, current research on scarlet fever, and the progress on a vaccine.

Chapters include:

• One Bacterium, Many Different Diseases
• Diagnosis and Treatment of the Group A Streptococcus
• Superficial Infections: Streptococcal Pharyngitis and Impetigo
• Scarlet Fever
• Resurgence of an Old Pathogen: Invasive Streptococcal Diseases
• Post-Streptococcal Complications
• Virulence Factors of Group A Streptococci
• Vaccine Prospects and the Future of the Group A Streptococcus.