Strep throat

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Throat anatomy

Strep throat

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Strep throat

Alternative Names:

Pharyngitis - streptococcal; Streptococcal pharyngitis

Prevention:

Most people with strep are contagious until they have been on antibiotics 24-48 hours. Thus, they should stay home from school, daycare, or work until they have been on antibiotics for at least a day.

Get a new toothbrush after you are no longer contagious, but before finishing the antibiotics. Otherwise the bacteria can live in the toothbrush and re-infect when the antibiotics are done. Also, keep your family's toothbrushes and utensils separate, unless they have been washed.

If repeated cases of strep still occur in a family, you might check to see if someone is a strep carrier. Carriers have strep in their throats, but the bacteria do not make them sick. Sometimes, treating them can prevent others from getting strep throat.

References:

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Group A Streptococcal Infections. Bethesda, MD: Office of Communications and Public Liaison. Available at: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/strep.htm.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Group A Streptococcal (GAS) Disease. Atlanta, GA: Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases; December 2003. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/groupastreptococcal_g.htm.

Review Date: 6/15/2004
Reviewed By: Alan Greene, M.D., F.A.A.P., Department of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine; Lucile Packard Children's Hospital; Chief Medical Officer, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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