Re: When was strep throat documented/recognized? Who identified it?

Strep throat is a form of pharyngitis ("inflammation of the throat") that is caused by bacteria of the streptococcus genus. Most strep throat is caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, a group A streptococcus that also causes scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, and impetigo. More information on these diseases from a public health perspective can be found at:

MEDLINEplus (NIH): Streptococcal Infections

Centers for Disease Control (CDC): streptococcus Infections

Pharyngitis has been documented as a common ailment throughout history, and doubtless many cases were caused by streptococcal infections, so there is no way of knowing who first documented the disease prior to identification of the bacterium that causes it. Streptococcus was first identified and named in 1874 by Dr. Theodor Billroth, a Viennese surgeon who was studying rheumatic fever. He later went on to identify the bacterium as the causative agent of strep throat and other diseases. As other Streptococci were identified, it became apparent that some species were pathogenic ("disease-causing") while others were beneficial. In 1918, Dr. Rebecca Lancefield used the sugars coating the cell walls to classify the different species of Streptococcus into groups - similar to the way human blood is classified into groups. She identified one of these groups, group A streptococci, which included S. pyogenes, as specific to humans and human disease, including pharyngitis.

The first cure for streptococcal infections was Prontosil, the first Sulfa drug (sulphonamide) discovered by Gerhard Domagk in 1932. Domagk was a chemist who was inspired by the achievements of Paul Ehrlich’s team in using dyes to stop syphilis infections. Domagk experimented with many different azo dyes until he found one that would stop streptococcal infections. Extensive use of sulfas produced widespread bacterial resistance to the drugs, such that by the time penicillin became widely available, it all but replaced sulfa drugs in the treatment of strep throats.