A doctor will determine what type of illness you have by asking about symptoms and doing a physical exam. If they think you might have strep throat, they will swab your throat to test for strep throat. There are two types of tests for strep throat: a rapid strep test and throat culture.
“No doctor or parent can tell whether a child has strep just by looking at the throat,” she emphasizes. Even when a doctor strongly suspects that an infection is strep throat, a throat swab is necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
Your doctor will check your throat for redness, swelling, and white patches, then rub a sterile swab over your tonsils, taking a sample of mucous. A rapid antigen test done at your doctor's office can find bacteria from the swab in minutes, so you can find out if strep throat is causing your symptoms.
How is strep throat diagnosed? Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and examine your throat. They may rub a cotton swab against a tonsil in the back of your throat to get a sample of bacteria. The sample will be tested in a lab to see if the cause of the sore throat is bacteria or a viral infection.
Left untreated, strep throat can lead to kidney inflammation or rheumatic fever, a serious illness that can cause stroke and permanent damage to the heart. Fortunately, strep throat can be easily diagnosed with a simple throat culture, and promptly treated with a course of antibiotics.
No, strep throat won't go away on its own. A type of bacteria causes strep throat, and antibiotics treat infections caused by bacteria. Strep throat can lead to more serious illnesses if not treated, so it's important to start on antibiotics immediately.
Fever. Pain when swallowing. Sore throat that can start very quickly and may look red. Red and swollen tonsils.
Hundreds of cases of the potentially deadly illness Strep A have been identified across Australia, prompting authorities to issue warnings for the disease. More than 500 official cases of invasive streptococcal disease have been identified so far this year, compared to about 1200 cases for all of 2022.
Strep Throat Diagnosis
To see whether you have strep throat, contact your health care professional. They'll will ask about your or your child's symptoms. The only sure way to tell strep from viruses that cause a sore throat is to do a test.
Because tonsillitis and strep throat are so similar, it can be difficult to tell them apart. One key difference is that tonsillitis involves inflammation of the tonsils, while strep throat involves a specific bacterium infecting the throat. This could also affect the tonsils.
Sometimes viral illnesses cause a sore throat that may be mistaken for strep throat. These include common cold viruses, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), influenza (the "flu"), croup, mononucleosis (“mono”), measles, and chickenpox.
It is important to seek medical attention if a person or a child has strep. Some common symptoms of strep throat include throat pain that often comes on quickly, fever and chills, painful swallowing, headache and a rash. Other symptoms include swollen and red tonsils sometimes with streaks of pus and stomach ache.
Bisno said, strep infections are limited, and most people are better within three or four days. Furthermore, he said, it is safe to wait several days — and perhaps as many as nine days — before starting antibiotic therapy without compromising the chances of preventing rheumatic fever.
necrophorum pharyngitis is hard to recognize. Its signs and symptoms are very similar to those of strep throat. There is a rapid test for strep; but there is not a routine, commercially available rapid test for F. necrophorum.
How Long is Strep Contagious? People taking antibiotics for strep throat become less contagious over 24 to 48 hours. A person with untreated strep can infect others for two or three weeks.
If you have a sore throat, a doctor or nurse may wipe the back of your throat to test for strep bacteria. It won't hurt and it only takes a couple of seconds.
It is most common among children 5 through 15 years of age. It is rare in children younger than 3 years of age. In the United States, group A strep pharyngitis is most common during the winter and spring.
Disease trends
Group A strep infections can occur any time during the year. However, some infections are more common in the United States in certain seasons: Strep throat and scarlet fever are more common in the winter and spring. Impetigo is more common in the summer.
Antibiotics are the only cure for strep throat that reduce the risk of strep bacteria complications. At the first sign of a possible strep throat infection, call or click to book an appointment with Dr 2 Kids, Smita Tandon, MD.
Your health care provider may order a strep A test if you or your child has symptoms of strep throat. These include: A sudden and severe sore throat. Pain or difficulty swallowing.
“Starting in September we saw this rapid increase in respiratory viruses we haven't really seen in the past few years, first in RSV, then in flu. Once the immune system is worn down from that, it's easier for strep to infect and cause complications,” Geevarghese says.
While throat pain and fever are the most common and notable symptoms of strep throat, other signs of this bacterial infection may include: Body aches. Fatigue.
While a sore throat is the hallmark sign of strep throat, bacteria from the infection can also travel up into the ear, causing pain.
Symptoms of Strep Throat Infection
Other symptoms include sore throat, fever, headache, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting. Cough, hoarseness, red eyes, and runny nose are not seen with Strep throat. These symptoms point more to a viral cause.