Infection with Streptococcus pyogenes - or group A strep, for short - typically produces mild symptoms, such as rash, fever or swollen tonsils leading to the eponymous strep throat. But in recent months, cases related to a rare invasive form of the common bacteria have been popping up across the United States, as well as Europe, often in connection with sometimes confusing symptoms, including skin rashes, fever, a racing heart and unexplained swelling.
The first confirmed pediatric deaths in this country, in two young children in the Denver area, were reported last week. At least 16 children have died of it in the United Kingdom, seven in the Netherlands and two in France.
The rise of invasive strep A is one of a number of unusual ways pathogens have been interacting with us - and each other - amid the end of coronavirus-era social distancing and masking this year.