Diverse disease processes of group A Streptococcus infection including severe invasive infections among members of a family.

We herein report three cases of group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection in a family. Patient 1, a 50-year-old woman, was transferred to our hospital in shock with acute respiratory distress syndrome, swelling in the right neck and erythemata on both lower extremities. She required intubation because of laryngeal oedema. At the same time, patient 2, a 48-year-old man, was admitted because of septic shock, pneumonia and a pulmonary abscess. Five days later, patient 3, a 91-year-old woman, visited our clinic with bloody stool. All three patients were cured by antibiotics, and GAS was detected by specimen cultures. During these patients' clinical course, an 84-year-old woman was found dead at home after having been diagnosed with type A influenza. All four patients lived in the same apartment. The GAS genotypes detected in the first three patients were identical. When treating patients with GAS, appropriate management of close contacts is mandatory.