
The organisms attach to the epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract and produce a battery of enzymes, which allows them to damage and invade human tissues.Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria (Pappenheim’s stain) | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Rheumatic fever develops in children and adolescents following pharyngitis with GABHS (ie, Streptococcus pyogenes). Strep throat and scarlet fever are caused by an infection with streptococcus bacteria.Studies in the 1950s during an epidemic on a military base demonstrated 3% incidence of rheumatic fever in adults with streptococcal pharyngitis not treated with antibiotics.Rheumatic fever (RF) is a systemic illness that may occur following group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal ( GABHS) pharyngitis in children.

Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that can develop as a complication of inadequately treated strep throat or scarlet fever. Rheumatic fever can lead to severe cardiac complications, such as rheumatic heart disease, if left unaddressed. This immune-mediated disease primarily affects children and adolescents, causing inflammation in various parts of the body, including the heart, joints, skin, and central nervous system. Rheumatic fever is a systemic inflammatory condition that arises as a complication of untreated or inadequately managed streptococcal throat infections, particularly group A streptococcus.
