A mere 150 years ago, uttering the words “scarlet fever” was enough to strike fear into the hearts of many, especially parents of young children. For a brief period of time, this disease, caused by an infection with the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes, reigned as a leading cause of childhood death in many parts of the world. It left its mark on gravestones, in public health decrees, in literature like the Velveteen Rabbit, but then something changed. The disease became milder, no longer the deadly threat it once was. But it didn’t go away entirely or lose its bite completely. In this episode, we examine the biology of scarlet fever and trace how it can make you sick before exploring its strange and tragic history. How did such a deadly disease change almost overnight, before any effective treatment was developed? And what can that tell us about its potential to change back? Tune in to find out.
| History | Biology |
| DICK, GEORGE F., and GLADYS HENRY DICK. “Experimental scarlet fever.” Journal of the American Medical Association 81.14 (1923): 1166-1167. | Ferretti JJ, Stevens DL, Fischetti VA, editors. Streptococcus pyogenes: Basic Biology to Clinical Manifestations [Internet]. Oklahoma City (OK): University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; 2016–. PMID: 26866208. Wong, S.S. and Yuen, K.Y., 2012. Streptococcus pyogenes and re-emergence of scarlet fever as a public health problem. Emerging Microbes & Infections, 1(1), pp.1-10. |
| Dick, George F., and GLADYS HENRY DICK. “A skin test for susceptibility to scarlet fever.” Journal of the American Medical Association 82.4 (1924): 265-266. | Wong, S.S. and Yuen, K.Y., 2012. Streptococcus pyogenes and re-emergence of scarlet fever as a public health problem. Emerging Microbes & Infections, 1(1), pp.1-10. |
| Duncan, C. J., S. R. Duncan, and S. Scott. “The dynamics of scarlet fever epidemics in England and Wales in the 19th century.” Epidemiology & Infection 117.3 (1996): 493-499. | Hurst, J.R., Brouwer, S., Walker, M.J. and McCormick, J.K., 2021. Streptococcal superantigens and the return of scarlet fever. PLoS Pathogens, 17(12), p.e1010097. |
| Ferretti, Joseph, and Werner Köhler. “History of streptococcal research.” (2016). | Basetti, S., Hodgson, J., Rawson, T.M. and Majeed, A., 2017. Scarlet fever: a guide for general practitioners. London journal of primary care, 9(5), pp.77-79. |
| Anne Hardy, The Epidemic Streets: Infectious Disease and the Rise of Preventive Medicine, 1856–1900. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993. | Dick, G.F. and Dick, G.H., 1924. Scarlet fever. American Journal of Public Health, 14(12), pp.1022-1028. |
| Hektoen, Ludvig. “The history of experimental scarlet fever in man.” Journal of the American Medical Association 80.2 (1923): 84-87. | Lamagni, T., Guy, R., Chand, M., Henderson, K.L., Chalker, V., Lewis, J., Saliba, V., Elliot, A.J., Smith, G.E., Rushton, S. and Sheridan, E.A., 2018. Resurgence of scarlet fever in England, 2014–16: a population-based surveillance study. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 18(2), pp.180-187. |
| Hurst, Jacklyn R., et al. “Streptococcal superantigens and the return of scarlet fever.” PLoS Pathogens 17.12 (2021): e1010097. | Huang, S.Z., 2008. A new SEIR epidemic model with applications to the theory of eradication and control of diseases, and to the calculation of R0. Mathematical Biosciences, 215(1), pp.84-104. |
| Katz, Alan R., and David M. Morens. “Severe streptococcal infections in historical perspective.” Clinical Infectious Diseases 14.1 (1992): 298-307. | Robbens, E., Schurgers, M., Boelaert, J. and Lameire, N., 1986. Systemic complications of streptococcal scarlet fever: two case reports and a review of the literature. Acta Clinica Belgica, 41(5), pp.311-318. |
| Lee, Charles A. “Notes on the history and pathology of scarlatina.” The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal 12.24 (1835): 373-377. | Carapetis, J.R., Steer, A.C., Mulholland, E.K. and Weber, M., 2005. The global burden of group A streptococcal diseases. The Lancet infectious diseases, 5(11), pp.685-694. |
| Roberts, Phillip M., and Heather T. Battles. “Measles and scarlet fever epidemic synergy and evolving pathogenic virulence in Victoria, Australia, 1853–1916.” Social Science History 45.1 (2021): 187-217. | Herdman, M.T., Cordery, R., Karo, B., Purba, A.K., Begum, L., Lamagni, T., Kee, C., Balasegaram, S. and Sriskandan, S., 2021. Clinical management and impact of scarlet fever in the modern era: findings from a cross-sectional study of cases in London, 2018–2019. BMJ open, 11(12), p.e057772. |
| Rolleston, John Davy. “The history of scarlet fever.” British Medical Journal 2.3542 (1928): 926. | Strep A Vaccine Consortium. https://savac.ivi.int/ |
| Swedlund, Alan C., and Alison K. Donta. “Scarlet fever epidemics of the nineteenth century: a case of evolved pathogenic virulence?.” Human biologists in the archives: demography, health, nutrition and genetics in historical populations (2002): 159-77. | WHO 2022 Increased incidence of scarlet fever and invasive Group A Streptococcus infection – multi-country https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON429 |
| Warinner, Christina, et al. “Pathogens and host immunity in the ancient human oral cavity.” Nature genetics 46.4 (2014): 336-344. | |
| Wilson, Leonard G. “The historical riddle of milk-borne scarlet fever.” Bulletin of the History of Medicine 60.3 (1986): 321-342. | |
| Williams, Margery. The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Became Real. 1922. | |
| https://classicchicagomagazine.com/trailblazer-dr-gladys-dick/ |
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One thought on “Episode 158 Scarlet Fever: You’ve changed”
Frankenstein is my favourite, tragic-love story.