Here is All You Need to Know About Strep Throat
Bacteria Cause Strep Throat Viruses are the most common cause of a sore throat. However, strep throat is an infection in the throat and tonsils caused by bacteria called group A Streptococcus (group A strep).
Understanding How You Get Strep Throat
Group A strep live in the nose and throat and can easily spread to other people. Not all infected people have symptoms or seem sick. People who are infected spread the bacteria by coughing or sneezing, which creates small respiratory droplets that contain the bacteria.
You can develop strep throat if you do any of the following:
• Breathe in those respiratory droplets
• Touch something with droplets on it and then touch their mouth or nose
• Drink from the same glass or eat from the same plate as a sick person
• Touch sores on the skin caused by group A strep (impetigo)
Sometimes, people can spread group A strep through food that is not handled properly. Pets or household items, like toys, do not typically spread these bacteria.
Pain and Fever without a Cough Are Common Signs
In general, strep throat is a mild infection, but it can be very painful.
The most common symptoms of strep throat include:
• Sore throat that can start very quickly
• Pain when swallowing
• Fever
• Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or
streaks of pus
• Tiny, red spots on the roof of the mouth.
• Swollen lymph nodes in the front of the neck
Other symptoms may include a headache, stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting — especially in children. Someone with strep throat may also have a rash known as scarlet fever.
These symptoms suggest that a virus is the cause of the illness in- stead of strep throat:
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Hoarseness (changes in your voice that makes it sound breathy, raspy, or strained)
• Conjunctivitis (also called pink eye)
It usually takes two to five days for someone exposed to group A strep to become ill.
Content source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Di- vision of Bacterial Diseases. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) website. https://www.cdc.gov/groupastrep/diseases-public/strep-throat.html