All You Need To Know About Strep Throat

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022), strep throat is caused by an infection in the tonsils and throat by Group A Streptococcus bacteria. These bacteria are extremely contagious and can easily spread to other people, commonly through direct contact and respiratory droplets. For the direct contact method of transmission, touching infected skin sores or fluid from the sores can cause infection to spread. For the respiratory droplets method, sneezing, talking and coughing can cause infectious droplets in the air to be inhaled, spreading infection. Also, touching something with infectious droplets and then touching the mouth or nose can cause infection. Sharing drinks and/or food with a person infected with Streptococcus can cause infection to spread as well. Once infected, the symptoms of Strep throat can start manifesting between 2-5 days after Group A Streptococcus exposure (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).

The symptoms of Strep throat usually manifest with a fever, pain during swallowing, rapid sore throat onset, swollen tonsils, patches and streaks of pus on tonsils, red spots on the top of the mouth, and swollen lymph nodes. It is important to note that the symptoms of strep throat usually do not include things like coughing, voice hoarseness, pink eye, or runny nose, which distinguishes it from some viral illnesses. Children between ages 5 and 15 years old are more likely to have a strep throat illness (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).

According to the Mayo Clinic (2022), diagnosis of a strep throat infection can be done using a rapid antigen test, PCR test, or a throat culture in addition to a physical examination. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, a physician may prescribe antibiotics which, if taken early (within 48 hours of illness onset), can help reduce the length and severity of the symptoms and reduce chance of spread to others. It is imperative that patients finish the full course of the antibiotics to prevent reinfection and further complications (Mayo Clinic, 2022).

If a patient does not improve after a few days of antibiotic use, consult a physician as soon as possible.

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, October 24). Strep throat: All you need to know. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/groupastrep/diseases-public/strep-throat.html

Mayo Clinic. (2022, November 30). Strep throat. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/strep-throat/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350344