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Strep Throat

Medical Author: Siamak Nabili, MD, MPH
Medical Editors: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR and Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Doctor to Patient

Sore Throat: Virus or Strep?

Medical Author: Melissa Stoppler, M.D.
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr, MD, FACP, FACR

Picture of strep throatAre you wondering if your sore throat requires antibiotics? Strep throat, named for the Streptococcus bacterium that causes the condition, is a particularly severe form of sore throat that is best treated with antibiotics. Strep throat can strike both children and adults, but only about five to ten percent of sore throats are caused by a bacterial infection. Most sore throats are caused by viral illnesses and are not responsive to treatment with antibiotics.

A true streptococcal infection of the throat often leads to excruciating throat pain accompanied by difficulty swallowing and even speaking. Fever may be present, and the tonsils are often covered with a whitish layer of pus. Cough and runny nose are not commonly related to strep throat, but it is possible to have a streptococcal infection along with a viral upper respiratory infection and symptoms of a cold. The bacterial infection may result in enlarged, tender lymph nodes in the neck. Children may have an accompanying rash; a streptococcus infection along with a rash is commonly termed scarlet fever.


Top Searched Strep Throat Terms:

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Doctor to Patient

What is strep throat?

While many people use the terms sore throat, tonsillitis, and strep throat interchangeably, there are significant clinical differences between these conditions. Understanding the differences can give patients a better idea of how and when to be concerned and when to seek advice from a physician.

Strep throat is only one of many possible causes of throat infection and sore throat. While strep throat is most common in children and adolescents, it can affect people of all ages.

What causes sore throat?

Sore throat may have many causes. The most common causes of sore throat are infections of the throat and the surrounding structures. Any inflammation or infection of the pharynx, tonsils, esophagus (the food pipe), or larynx (the top opening part of the windpipe) may cause sore throat.

What are the tonsils and tonsillitis?

The tonsils are red, oval clumps of tissue located at the back and to the sides of the throat. This location allows the tonsils to intercept germs as they enter the body through the nose and throat. They contain infection-fighting cells and antibodies (infection-fighting proteins in the body) that stop the spread of the germs further into the body.

When the tonsils become red, sore, and swollen, this inflammation is called tonsillitis. This is not a specific term, as there are many causes of inflammation of the tonsils. Tonsillitis is a common cause of sore throat.

What are the pharynx and pharyngitis?

The pharynx is the area in the back of the throat shared by the oral cavity and the nasal cavity behind the palate. An infection or inflammation of the pharynx is called pharyngitis. The infectious causes are similar to those causing tonsillitis, which are mainly related to viruses and less commonly to bacterial infection.

Because it is difficult to always distinguish exactly between pharyngitis and tonsillitis, throat infections are commonly referred to as tonsillopharyngitis, which signifies an infection of the tonsils, or pharynx, or both.



Next: Can viruses cause throat infection? »

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