By Matthew Finn

The bacteria in this picture that is causing the soar throat is commonly called Group A Streptococcus (GAS) or just Streptococcus and it causes strep throat. This bacteria is scientifically known as Streptococcus Pyogenes. Inside a Person’s Mouth with a Soar Throat Inside a Person’s Mouth with a Soar Throat

 You can get this bacteria by direct contact of mucus through the nose and/ or throat of people who have wounded or infected skin.  People with infected skin and/ or strep throat are most likely to get the bacteria.  People who carry the bacteria but don’t have any symptoms are much less contagious but that doesn’t mean you can’t get the bacteria from them.  It’s not likely for household objects like dishes and toys to spread this bacteria.

 GAS is a bacteria that has very little affect like a soar throat or it could have huge affect like a life threatening disease. It also causes skin infections and other infections that could be very harmful or not harmful at all. These infections can be treated with antibiotics.  This bacteria can be found world wide.  People with diseases like diabetes, people with cancer, people with long term illnesses, and people that take medications like steroids are at high risk for invasive disease.  Sometimes GAS disease occurs because the bacteria gets into places in the body it shouldn’t be.

 GAS as stated before can be very harmful but it can also have very little affect.  It can cause invasive diseases if you have the right symptoms.  This bacteria is very common in the United States and a few million people get strep throat and minor skin infections each year. About 10,000 people develop a disease and about 2,000 people die each year from GAS.  When you have GAS in your body, symptoms start to show about 1-3 days after it gets into your body.