Strep throat meaning

Sometimes when you have a sore throat, it's more than just a normal cold, especially if your throat feels raw or like it's on fire. Most people get sore throats from a viral infection, in other words, the common cold. But, occasionally, you might come down with strep throat, which is caused by a type of bacteria called Streptococcus pyogenes. These bacteria are contagious. Like with germs that cause a cold, you can also get strep throat from handling a doorknob or other surface, then touching your nose or mouth. How do you know for sure that you have strep throat? You may start to feel sick a few days after you come into contact with the bacteria that causes strep throat, but usually people will start feeling sick suddenly. You will probably have a fever very quickly, and your throat will be very sore. If you look in a mirror, the back of your throat may be very red, and you might see white patches on your tonsils. You may also have a headache, be sick to your stomach, and feel chills. Your doctor will check your throat for redness, swelling, and white patches, then rub a sterile swab over your tonsils, taking a sample of mucous. A rapid antigen test done at your doctor's office can find bacteria from the swab in minutes, so you can find out if strep throat is causing your symptoms. Your doctor will probably send the swab to a laboratory to double check your diagnosis, but this test may take a day or two. There's another common type of bacteria that can cause throat infect...

Overview Group B strep (streptococcus) is a common bacterium often carried in the intestines or lower genital tract. The bacterium is usually harmless in healthy adults. In newborns, however, it can cause a serious illness known as group B strep disease. Group B strep can also cause dangerous infections in adults with certain chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes or liver disease. Older adults are at increased risk of illness due to group B strep, too. Symptoms Infants Most babies born to women carrying group B strep are healthy. But the few who are infected by group B strep during labor can become critically ill. In infants, illness caused by group B strep can be within six hours of birth (early onset) — or weeks or months after birth (late onset). Signs and symptoms might include: • Fever • Low body temperature • Difficulty feeding • Sluggishness, limpness or weak muscle tone • Difficulty breathing • Irritability • Jitteriness • Seizures • Rash • Jaundice Adults Many adults carry group B strep in their bodies — usually in the bowel, vagina, rectum, bladder or throat — and have no signs or symptoms. In some cases, however, group B strep can cause a urinary tract infection or other more-serious infections. Signs and symptoms of infections that may be caused by group B strep include the following. Urinary tract infection • A strong, persistent urge to urinate • A burning sensation or pain when urinating • Passing frequent, small amounts of urine • Urine that appears ...

By Jennifer Cunningham, MD, Valley Health Shenandoah Memorial Hospital Family Medicine | Mt. Jackson It is often challenging to distinguish between allergies, viral upper respiratory symptoms (common cold), and strep throat. So what’s the difference? Allergies typically are worse in the spring and fall, but there are those who have year-round allergies. Allergies often will results in sinus congestion; sneezing; a clear runny nose; and itchy, watery eyes. Most often those who suffer from allergies will have symptoms at the same time each year. While there can be a sore throat, it is rarely severe. Most people describe the sore throat as “scratchy.” The common cold involves a lot of congestion, runny nose and cough. It can also involve a sore throat. There is rarely fever or body aches. Most often, individuals don’t feel as bad as they would with other types of infections. It is important to note that colds are caused by a virus. Viruses are not killed by antibiotics. Patients are frequently insistent that an antibiotic has helped them, but what actually heals them is the dose of time that is often equivalent to the length of time they were on antibiotics. This means they would have improved without the antibiotics. Strep throat follows an entirely different course. Unlike the other processes that I described, strep throat is not accompanied by other upper respiratory symptoms. Typically, the only symptom is a very sore throat. Patients most often have a fairly high fever. ...

Recent Examples on the Web Sawin gave the example of a person getting strep throat. — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2023 After Rory died, his parents—who had never heard of sepsis, and knew strep only as the cause of strep throat—threw themselves into activism. — Maryn Mckenna, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2022 The researchers are now performing the same tests on Streptococcus pyogenes, which causes strep throat. — Susanne Rust, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2015 Rheumatic heart disease, which begins as untreated strep throat, can damage the mitral valve of the heart and ultimately be fatal. — Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2023 Tests for strep throat were negative. — Brenda Goodman, CNN, 17 Feb. 2023 The return process, without an alternative diagnosis such as strep throat, requires two negative PCR tests taken at least 24 hours apart, meaning a player could theoretically develop symptoms Friday, Saturday or Sunday morning and miss a game without testing positive. — Andrew Krammer, Star Tribune, 16 Oct. 2020 Back to top Will strep throat go away on its own? — Maggie O'neill, SELF, 22 Mar. 2023 Rheumatic heart disease starts as strep throat, which, if untreated, becomes rheumatic fever. — Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2023 See More These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strep throat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.