White or yellow pus on your tonsils and/or redness on the back of throat: Use a flashlight to illuminate the back of your throat. If you see white or yellow spots on a bright red throat, you may have strep throat.
Another difference is that strep throat usually doesn't cause a cough, runny nose, or watery eyes. Viral infections and mucus in the throat from allergies or other conditions are more likely to cause a cough.
“If someone has symptoms of congestion, postnasal drip and cough, and then complains of sore throat, that would indicate a possible viral infection. With strep, the sore throat is usually the first symptom." Other signs of strep throat are fever, typically over 101, and swollen tonsils with white patches.
A doctor will determine what type of illness you have by asking about symptoms and doing a physical exam. If they think you might have strep throat, they will swab your throat to test for strep throat. There are two types of tests for strep throat: a rapid strep test and throat culture.
Sometimes viral illnesses cause a sore throat that may be mistaken for strep throat. These include common cold viruses, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), influenza (the "flu"), croup, mononucleosis (“mono”), measles, and chickenpox.
Strep Throat Symptoms
“If someone has symptoms of congestion, postnasal drip and cough, and then complains of sore throat, that would indicate a possible viral infection. With strep, the sore throat is usually the first symptom."
A viral sore throat is typically accompanied by other cold-like symptoms, such as cough, sneeze, runny nose and a hoarse or raspy voice. “A strep infection can make it feel very painful to swallow, and often comes with fever of 101-degrees or higher,” said Schairer.
Does Strep Throat Cause Cough? Cough is generally not a symptom of strep throat. Cough, hoarseness, runny nose, reddened eyes and other symptoms may point to a viral respiratory infection.
Strep throats are usually not associated with a cough or runny nose. Doctors most commonly treat group A strep with antibiotics. If you have cold symptoms such as coughing, sneezing or a runny or stuffy nose, you probably have a viral infection, not strep throat.
However, invasive Group A strep - which occurs if these bacteria get into the bloodstream or other areas where they shouldn't be such as the muscles or lungs - it can cause serious illnesses such as pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis.
Strep throat symptoms are usually more severe than symptoms of a sore throat with a cold and may include the following: Sudden sore throat. Loss of appetite. Painful swallowing.
No, strep throat won't go away on its own. A type of bacteria causes strep throat, and antibiotics treat infections caused by bacteria. Strep throat can lead to more serious illnesses if not treated, so it's important to start on antibiotics immediately.
Strep throat can be contagious for about 2-3 weeks in individuals who are not taking antibiotics. However, individuals who do take antibiotics for strep throat usually are no longer contagious about 24- 48 hours after initiating antibiotic therapy.
The rash may feel rough like sandpaper. The same germ that causes strep throat may also cause symptoms of a sinus infection or an ear infection.
The CDC recommend that people with strep throat should stay home until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours and have been taking antibiotics for at least 1 day. People who do not receive treatment can remain contagious until they are better.
Whether you are a child or an adult, it is always important to seek medical treatment if you have strep throat symptoms. Left untreated, strep throat can progress to scarlet fever or rheumatic fever.
“You do not have a cough with strep. If you're coughing, that typically means no strep,” says Dr. Allan. “Also, when you look in the throat of a person with a sore throat caused by a cold virus, you typically do not see pus or exudate in the back of the throat.”
While it's common for individuals to experience a fever when infected with strep throat, it's possible some people won't have a fever at all. You can be infected with group A Streptococcus and experience no fever. In fact, it's possible you may have little to no noticeable symptoms.
“Starting in September we saw this rapid increase in respiratory viruses we haven't really seen in the past few years, first in RSV, then in flu. Once the immune system is worn down from that, it's easier for strep to infect and cause complications,” Geevarghese says.
Because COVID-19 is an illness caused by a virus, a COVID-19 sore throat may look and feel like other viral sore throats. One clue that you have viral pharyngitis is that it is often accompanied by other common symptoms.
Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. It causes a wide variety of diseases ranging from pneumonia, meningitis, otitis media, septicemia, and sinusitis to comparatively benign soft tissue infections. The pneumococcus can also colonize the upper respiratory tract.
Although most URIs are viral, bacteria can play a role, too. Perhaps the most well known is strep throat, which is pharyngitis caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes. Occasionally sinusitis is due to bacterial infection, but this is less common. URIs are often contagious.