Bacterium Causing Strep Throat Kills 18

A bacterium that in some forms eats flesh has killed 18 people in Texas in the last three months, the Texas Department of Health said. It said 89 cases of group A streptococcus have been reported in the state since Dec. 1. Health Department spokesman Doug McBride said the state usually has only 80 to 100 cases a year, with an average of seven resulting in death. The latest victim was a 5-year-old Houston boy who died Sunday. The bacterium is the same that causes strep throat and is treatable with antibiotics if caught in time.