Strawberry Tongue
Some Interesting Facts About Strawberry Tongue
Strawberry tongue is the description given to a tongue that has a color similar to a strawberry. It is a symptom of scarlet fever, a disease that is caused from the bacteria called Streptococcus puogenes.
Children usually can acquire strawberry tongue from scarlet fever more commonly than adults. Strep throat that was not properly treated with antibiotics is usually the cause of scarlet fever however, it can also occur for no apparent reason. Sometimes scarlet fever can also be the beginning cause of strep throat, bringing a sore throat and a high fever with it. Today strawberry tongue is rare because there are so few cases of scarlet fever due to the vast amount of antibiotics available.
Scarlet fever is generally a mild illness that is accompanied with a fever and a rash. Children can actually recover often without antibiotics. If untreated however, there is a risk of acquiring an infection that spreads to your blood that is called sepsis. It can also lead to rheumatic fever if untreated. Children generally recover without any issue unless there is some sort of underlying immune deficiency.
Symptoms Of Scarlet Fever
Aside from strawberry tongue, fever and sore throat, scarlet fever has quite a few more symptoms to look for. Your throat can become bright red and a white phlegm substance is visible on the tonsils. Abdominal pain is also common as well as lymph nodes near the intestines can become enlarged and painful.
When you have scarlet fever you will quite often have a red rash on your abdomen, chest and groin. The rash is what technically gave the illness its name and it can often have a sandpaper like texture. When you press on the rash it looses its color. If your rash does not loose color then there is bleeding under the skin and this is not a rash related to scarlet fever.
Dark red lines are sometimes present in the folds of your skin called Pastra lines and they are often found on the inner elbows. Strawberry tongue is the most common symptom of scarlet fever. In addition to the bright red shade your tongue's papillae also becomes slightly swollen.
Scarlet Fever Testing
If you have any symptoms of scarlet fever, especially strawberry tongue, your physician will need to perform a few tests to conclude a proper diagnosis. A rapid strep test is most commonly performed by using a Dacron swab on your throat. Test results are shown immediately. If this test comes out negative but your physician still believes you have scarlet fever then a throat culture will be performed. Additionally, an ASO blood count could be performed.
Treatment
Strawberry tongue caused from scarlet fever can be treated by taking antibiotics. Originally penicillin was the drug of choice but amoxicillin is generally now given. Treatment can be performed in 5 days but 10 days of medication is given to prevent future complications. The cure rate is almost 100%.
Prevention And Transmission
Hand washing is important to prevent strep throat and the chance of obtaining strawberry tongue. Anyone infected should be kept home because this is a very contagious illness. This illness is commonly spread through direct contact, saliva, nasal discharge or by simply touching an object an infected person has previously touched. Scarlet fever isn't spread to the next person but strep throat is. There is a long incubation period and the next infected person may not commence showing any symptoms until a week later.
Children, or adults that commonly work with children, such as teachers are at a highest risk to catch scarlet fever and ultimately end up with strawberry tongue. Although it is not a common illness, if you do notice symptoms that you think may be related you need to seek medical treatment promptly.