Strep Throat: All You Need to Know

Anyone can get strep throat, but there are some factors that can increase the risk of getting this common infection.

Age

Strep throat is more common in children than adults. It is most common in children 5 through 15 years old. It is very rare in children younger than 3 years old.

Close contact

Close contact with another person with strep throat is the most common risk factor for illness. For example, if someone has strep throat, the bacteria often spread to other people in their household.

Contact with children: Parents of school-age children and adults who are often in contact with children are at increased risk.

Crowded settings can increase the risk of getting any group A strep infection including strep throat. These settings include:

• Daycare centers and schools
• Detention or correctional facilities
• Homeless shelters
• Military training facilities

A healthcare provider 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.

Rapid strep test

A rapid strep test involves swabbing the throat and running a test on the swab. The test quickly shows if group A strep bacteria are likely causing the illness.

Throat culture

A throat culture takes time to see if group A strep bacteria grow from the swab. While it takes more time, a throat culture sometimes finds infections that the rapid strep test misses.

Healthcare providers treat strep throat with antibiotics.

Call a healthcare provider if you or your child aren’t feeling better after taking antibiotics for 48 hours.

Strep carriers

A carrier is someone who tests positive but has no symptoms. Generally, carriers don’t need antibiotics. They’re less likely to spread the bacteria to others and very unlikely to get complications.

If a carrier gets a viral sore throat (with or without a rash), a strep test can be positive. In these cases, it’s hard to know what’s causing the sore throat.

Talk to a healthcare provider if you think you or your child may be a strep carrier.

After a negative rapid strep test, healthcare providers may do a throat culture.

For children and teens, culture is important.

For adults, it’s usually not necessary to do a throat culture.

Antibiotics aren’t needed if all the test results are negative.

Healthcare providers treat strep throat with antibiotics to

• Decrease how long someone is sick
• Decrease symptoms
• Prevent the bacteria from spreading to others
• Prevent serious complications like rheumatic fever