If you have a sore, scratchy throat that lasts longer than a couple of days, you could have a bacterial infection known as a strep throat.
While viruses (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are the cause of most sore throats, strep throat is bacterial. It’s caused by Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus) and is highly contagious.
Your doctor will most likely diagnose strep throat with a swab sample. For most people, a swab sample is not painful, but it could make you gag.
Treatment for strep throat commonly includes an antibiotic.
Yes, you can have strep throat without having a fever.
Doctors will commonly look for five primary signs in the first stage of diagnosing strep throat:
- No Cough. If you have a sore throat, but aren’t coughing, it could be a sign of strep.
- Swollen lymph nodes. If the lymph nodes (sometimes wrongly referred to as glands) in the front part of your neck are swollen, it could be a sign of strep.
- White spots on tonsils. If you look in your mouth (with your tongue pushed down) and see white spots on your tonsils, it could be a sign of strep.
- Petechiae. If petechiae (tiny, red spots) are visible on the roof of your mouth, it could be a sign of strep.
- Fever. If you’re running a fever, it could be a sign of strep.
The more of these symptoms you have, the greater the chance you have strep throat. However, you could have all of these symptoms and not have strep throat. You could also have just one or two of these symptoms and have strep throat. The only way to be sure is by testing a sample from your throat.
If your doctor suspects strep throat, they’ll most likely order one or both of two tests: a rapid antigen test and a throat culture.
- Rapid antigen test. The doctor will use a long swab to collect a sample from your throat and look at it for antigen (substance from the bacterium that stimulates an immune response). This test takes minutes, but even if the test is negative, you doctor might still want a throat culture. If the test is positive, your doctor will probably prescribe an oral antibiotic.
- Throat culture. Using a long swab, the doctor will collect a sample of secretions from your tonsils and the back of your throat. This sample will be cultured in a laboratory to see if the bacterium is present and grows. For this reason, it can take two days to get the results of a throat culture.
If you have strep throat, you’re contagious whether or not you’re showing symptoms, such as fever.
If your doctor has prescribed antibiotics, you should start feeling better in a day or two. In most cases, according to the Mayo Clinic, you’ll no longer be contagious 24 hours after beginning treatment.
Just because you’re feeling better (and are most likely not contagious) in a relatively short period of time, does not mean that you can stop taking all of the medicine prescribed by your doctor.
According the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), stopping an antibiotic treatment early might result in not all the bacteria being killed. Furthermore, there’s a likelihood that the remaining bacteria might become resistant to the antibiotic.
Even if you’re not displaying all the common symptoms — such as fever — of the bacterial infection known as strep throat, you may still have it and be contagious.
Although certain symptoms are a strong indication, the only way for you to be absolutely sure that you have strep is by a doctor swabbing your throat and rapid testing for Streptococcal antigen, or running a throat culture.
Strep throat is a bacterial infection that usually causes a sore throat. It is common and can spread easily from person to person.
Group A Streptococci bacteria cause strep throat, which people typically associate with fever, alongside a sore throat. However, some people who have strep throat do not experience any symptoms, while others may have less common symptoms of the disease.
Keep reading for more information on strep throat, including its symptoms, how it spreads, and the treatment options.
People often associate strep throat with a sore throat and fever, but it is possible for a person to have strep throat and not have a fever.
A fever is one of several symptoms that a doctor looks for when diagnosing strep throat. A lack of fever does not necessarily mean that a person does not have the infection, though.
To get a diagnosis of strep throat, a person will usually see their primary care provider. During the visit, the doctor will ask them about any symptoms. They will likely examine the person’s throat, take their temperature, and feel over the lymph nodes on the front of the neck.
If strep throat seems likely, a doctor will need to perform a simple strep test to confirm the presence of group A Streptococcus.
To perform a strep test, a healthcare professional will ask the person to open their mouth wide. They will then insert a cotton swab on a stick and swab the back of the person’s throat.
A rapid test on the swab sample will provide positive or negative results, confirming whether the person has strep throat.
In some cases, if a test comes back negative, a doctor may have a laboratory run a throat culture. A throat culture takes longer to produce results, but it can sometimes find infections that the quick test misses.
A doctor is more likely to order a throat culture following a negative test on children because children are more susceptible to rheumatic fever from an untreated strep infection than adults.
Strep throat spreads through contact with affected saliva and nasal secretions. A person can still spread strep even if they are asymptomatic.
A person can catch strep throat from:
- sharing food or drink with someone who has the infection
- touching an object that a person with strep throat coughed or sneezed on, then touching their own mouth or nose
- touching skin sores that group A Streptococcus caused, for example, impetigo
- breathing in respiratory droplets from a person with the infection
A person should take all prescribed antibiotic treatment and be aware that strep infection can still spread when they first start treatment.
A person should take reasonable precautions, such as washing their hands frequently and coughing or sneezing into their elbow rather than their hand, to help prevent spreading strep throat to others while they are taking antibiotics.
If a person tests positive for strep throat, the primary treatment is a round of antibiotic treatment. Either penicillin or amoxicillin is generally the first-line treatment for group A Streptococcus infection. A doctor can prescribe other antibiotics that are effective against strep if a person is allergic to penicillins.
A doctor may also recommend medications to treat the pain. In some cases, these may be over-the-counter medications that are available at most pharmacies.
If a person shows no symptoms or signs of infection but tests position for group A Streptococcus, they are a carrier. A carrier is less likely to spread bacteria to others and very unlikely to develop complications from untreated strep. They usually do not need antibiotics.
A carrier likely will not know that they have strep. If they get a sore throat due to a viral infection, the rapid strep test may come back positive. In these cases, it may be hard to identify what is causing the sore throat.
If a person keeps getting a sore throat after taking the right antibiotics, it is likely that they are a carrier and that a viral throat infection is causing the symptoms instead.
If a person suspects that they or their child may be a carrier, they should talk to their doctor.
According to the CDC, viruses (such as those that cause colds and flu) are the most common cause of sore throats in people. Other potential causes of a sore throat may include:
- smoking
- exposure to secondhand smoke
- allergies
- talking or singing for extended periods
Strep throat is a common bacterial infection that causes an often severe sore throat without a cough.
A person may also have other symptoms, such as a fever, but this is not always the case. A person can still have strep throat without a fever.
A rapid strep test or throat culture can confirm whether a person has strep throat. If strep throat is present, a doctor will prescribe an appropriate antibiotic to treat the infection.