These settings include:. Only a rapid strep test or throat culture can determine if group A strep is the cause. A doctor cannot tell if someone has strep throat just by looking at his or her throat. A rapid strep test involves swabbing the throat and running a test on the swab. The test quickly shows if group A strep is causing the illness. If the test is positive, doctors can prescribe antibiotics.
If the test is negative, but a doctor still suspects strep throat, then the doctor can take a throat culture swab. 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. Culture is important to use in children and teens since they can get rheumatic fever from an untreated strep throat infection.
For adults, it is usually not necessary to do a throat culture following a negative rapid strep test. Adults are generally not at risk of getting rheumatic fever following a strep throat infection. Someone with strep throat should start feeling better in just a day or two after starting antibiotics. Call the doctor if you or your child are not feeling better after taking antibiotics for 48 hours. Doctors treat strep throat with antibiotics. Either penicillin or amoxicillin are recommended as a first choice for people who are not allergic to penicillin.
Doctors can use other antibiotics to treat strep throat in people who are allergic to penicillin. They are less likely to spread the bacteria to others and very unlikely to get complications. If a carrier gets a sore throat illness caused by a virus, the rapid strep test can be positive. In these cases it can be hard to know what is causing the sore throat. This content does not have an Arabic version.
Diagnosis Your doctor will conduct a physical exam, look for signs and symptoms of strep throat, and probably order one or more of the following tests: Rapid antigen test. Your doctor may perform a rapid antigen test on a swab sample from your throat. This test can detect strep bacteria in minutes by looking for substances antigens in the throat.
If the test is negative but your doctor still suspects strep, he or she might do a throat culture. Molecular polymerase chain reaction, or PCR test. This test is also done using a swab sample from your throat. Throat culture. A sterile swab is rubbed over the back of the throat and tonsils to get a sample of the secretions. It's not painful, but it may cause gagging. The sample is then cultured in a laboratory for the presence of bacteria, but results can take as long as two days.
More Information Recurring strep throat: When is tonsillectomy useful? Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Either way, this information will help you understand what your choices are so that you can talk to your doctor about them. Sore throats can be painful and annoying. But most of the time they go away on their own. It may take a few days or up to a week, depending on the cause. Most sore throats are caused by a virus, such as a cold.
A bacterial infection can also cause a sore throat. If you have a sudden, severe sore throat without coughing, sneezing, or other cold symptoms, you could have strep throat. Strep throat is a bacterial infection of the throat and tonsils.
About 1 out of 10 sore throats in adults is caused by strep throat. This means that 9 out of 10 sore throats aren't strep. Antibiotics don't work at all for a sore throat caused by a virus.
These kinds of sore throats usually go away on their own in 4 to 5 days. If you have strep throat—which is caused by bacteria—your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic, such as penicillin. But strep throat goes away on its own in 3 to 7 days with or without antibiotics. Antibiotics may not make you well faster. But they may shorten the time you are able to spread strep throat to others are contagious by a day or so. Antibiotics may also lower the risk of a bacterial infection spreading to other parts of your body, such as your ears and sinuses.
They can also prevent serious but rare problems such as rheumatic fever in children. Besides side effects, there are other good reasons not to use antibiotics unless you really need them. Your doctor may advise you to take antibiotics if you have strep throat, which is caused by bacteria. Antibiotics will only work if your sore throat is caused by bacteria. These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers.
They may be helpful as you make important health decisions. I was sick a lot as a kid, and I was always taking medicine. Maybe it helped at the time. But in the past few years, when I've gotten a bad sore throat or sinus infection, antibiotics haven't worked. I've had to try two or three different ones each time. That gets expensive.
The next time I get a sore throat, I'm going to try just staying home, resting, and taking care of myself instead of taking antibiotics. My 8-year-old daughter got strep throat last month. I thought it was just a cold, and I kept her home from school for a few days. But she wasn't getting better and she felt so miserable. I was also worried about ear infections. She gets a lot of those too. The doctor did a strep test and suggested she take antibiotics.
Amy started feeling better a few days later. I think antibiotics were the right way to go this time. My insurance doesn't pay for all of my medicines, so I try to make sure I really need the ones I do take. The last time I had a bad cold, my throat got really sore.
The pain made it hard for me to swallow. I called my doctor's office and the nurse said I could come in if I felt I needed a prescription. I thought I'd wait and see instead. I took ibuprofen and drank a lot of tea and honey, and in a few days I felt better. I'm glad I didn't spend the money on a doctor visit and medicine. I'm pretty healthy most of the time, but this past winter I got sick.
I was down for 3 or 4 days. It turns out I had an infection in my throat and tonsils. The doctor thought I should take antibiotics because of my age and health. Shulman, a doctor at the Ann and Robert H. And a sore throat doesn't automatically mean you have a strep infection.
A patient may come in with a sore throat along with cold symptoms, such as a cough , runny nose, pink eye , or a raspy or strained voice. Watch out for these symptoms:. Some children may feel nauseated, have a headache or a stomachache, or vomit.
A number of children with these symptoms may have scarlet fever , a fever accompanied by a rash. Doctors have to be selective about testing for strep throat, says Shulman.
Strep throat is not diagnosed just by symptoms: There are two tests used to confirm it. The doctor or medical professional takes a throat swab, called a rapid strep test, or a throat culture.
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