Rheumatic fever overview
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Lance Christiansen, D.O.; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2]
Overview
The systemic signs and symptoms of rheumatic fever are caused by a systemic attack on a human host's tissues, and therefore organs, by autoantibodies and other autoimmunological elements that are self-developed, after a Streptococcus pyogenic sensitized patient experiences an additional infection by a virulent strain of Streptococcus pyogenes.
In order to develop an acute, rheumatic, response, a host must be autoimmunologically sensitized to Streptococcus pyogene's autoantigens and secreted toxic products from a number of prior, timely infections by Streptococcus pyogenes. A rheumatic fever episode is primarily an autoimmunological, non-suppurative sequela of a virulent Streptococcus pyogenes infection and not a function of direct pathological, suppurative damage from the bacterial infection itself.