09/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/11/2024 11:52
Key takeaways:
Adults can get strep throat. Adults who live with or work with school-age children are more likely to get strep throat.
Adults with sore throats are more likely to have a viral infection than strep throat. But, if they're around school-age children or get exposed to someone with strep throat, they should get tested for strep throat.
Adults who have strep throat need treatment with antibiotics to cure the infection and prevent more serious infections and complications, like heart disease.
Strep throat is the most common type of bacterial throat infection. As a kid, you probably remember getting checked for strep throat when you came down with a sore throat. But now that you're an adult, do you really need to go to a doctor's office every time you have a sore throat?
As you get older, you're more likely to have a sore throat from a virus than from strep. But adults can get strep throat. And this is one of the few times that antibiotics are needed to cure a sore throat. Strep throat often goes away by itself in 3 to 5 days. But, without antibiotic treatment, strep throat can lead to more serious infections and health problems, like rheumatic fever and long-term heart problems. So, antibiotic treatment helps you feel better faster and keeps you from developing more serious health complications.
Here's how you can tell when you need a test for strep throat.
How long are you contagious with strep throat? After starting antibiotics, you're contagious with strep for another 12 to 24 hours. Learn more about how to stop the spread.
Recurring strep throat: Some people get strep throat over and over again. Learn why that may happen and what you can do to prevent it.
How to relieve strep throat pain: Beyond taking antibiotics, here are some self-care remedies for strep that can help relieve your symptoms.
Yes, adults can get strep throat. But it isn't common. Studies show only 5% to 15% of adults who have a sore throat end up having strep throat. But certain adults are much more likely to come down with strep throat. These people have a higher chance of testing positive for strep throat when they have a sore throat.
Adults at higher risk for strep include:
Young adults who attend college and/or live in dormitories
Adults who live or work with children between the ages of 5 and 15
Older adults who live in group settings, like long-term care or residential facilities
If you fall into one of these groups and you develop symptoms of strep throat (listed below), you should get tested. Your symptoms might be due to strep-throat infection.
The symptoms of strep throat in adults include:
Sore throat
Pain with swallowing
Red spots on the back of the throat
White discharge or pus at the back of the throat
Fever
Swollen or tender neck lymph nodes
Symptoms usually start suddenly. People don't typically experience a cough, runny nose, or watery eyes when they have strep throat.
If you're experiencing symptoms that could be strep, here's when you should see a healthcare professional:
If you develop a sore throat after being around someone who was recently diagnosed with or treated for strep throat
If you have a sore throat and you're part of a group that's at higher risk for developing strep throat (listed above)
If you're not in one of these groups, see a healthcare professional if you develop a very severe sore throat or a fever along with a sore throat. These symptoms may be due to strep throat or a more serious viral infection, like COVID-19 or the flu (influenza).
A healthcare professional will do a rapid strep test to see if you have strep throat. To do this test, they'll swab the back of your throat and then test the sample in their office. You'll know the results in a few minutes.
Antibiotics treat strep throat. In fact, this is one of the few times you actually need to take antibiotics for a sore throat.
The most commonly used antibiotics are:
Amoxicillin: 1,000 mg by mouth once a day (or 500 mg by mouth twice a day) for 10 days
Penicillin: 500 mg by mouth twice a day for 10 days
There's also a form of penicillin that comes as a one-time injection. If you think you won't be able to finish all 10 days of antibiotics, talk with your healthcare team about the injection form of penicillin.
If you have a penicillin allergy, you'll need to take a different antibiotic. Options include:
Cephalexin (Keflex): 500 mg by mouth twice a day for 10 days
Clindamycin (Cleocin): 300 mg by mouth 3 times a day for 10 days
Azithromycin (Zithromax): 500 mg by mouth once a day for 5 days
Clarithromycin (Biaxin): 250 mg by mouth twice a day for 10 days
While antibiotics will keep you safe from strep complications, they won't help you feel better that much faster. Studies show that antibiotics only shorten illness by about 1 day. But there are some over-the-counter and home remedies to help relieve your symptoms.
Strep throat is caused by a type of bacteria called group A Streptococcus. This type of bacteria spreads from person to person through direct contact with saliva and respiratory droplets. People release the bacteria when they cough, sneeze, or blow their nose. So, you can pick up the bacteria that causes strep throat if you come into contact with these respiratory droplets.
You can also come in contact with group A Streptococcus by sharing toothbrushes, utensils, cups, and anything else that touches your mouth. This bacteria doesn't live on surfaces very long. So, it's unlikely that you'll come into contact with the bacteria from touching objects or surfaces.
Yes, you can get strep throat even if you don't have tonsils.
A healthcare professional may recommend that you get your tonsils removed (tonsillectomy) if you get frequent throat infections. This is because group A Streptococcus can live on the tonsils. A tonsillectomy may lower your chances of getting throat infections, but you can still get strep without tonsils.
Recurring strep throat, or getting strep throat over and over again, can happen for a few different reasons, including:
Incomplete antibiotic treatment
New exposure to group A Streptococcus bacteria
A weakened immune system
It's possible to get strep over and over again if a family member or other close contact is a "strep carrier." In these cases, the person might not have many symptoms, but they remain contagious. Talk to a healthcare professional if you suspect this could be happening to you.
Research is underway to create a vaccine to prevent strep throat. The World Health Organization declared a strep vaccine to be a top priority for future research. But strep vaccines are difficult to develop. This is because strep has many different strains, and an effective vaccine would need to prevent all or most of them. Some strains can trigger autoimmune reactions in certain people, so a vaccine would need to avoid that risk. Plus, the bacteria that cause strep throat grow much better in humans than in other animals. That means vaccines against strep throat are difficult to study in a laboratory.
Adults do get strep throat, but not as often as children get it. Adults who live or work with school-age children and those who live in group settings are more likely to get strep throat. If you think you could have strep throat, see your healthcare provider for a strep test.
If you have strep throat, getting treatment with antibiotics will cure your strep throat. Antibiotics also keep you from developing health complications. Amoxicillin and penicillin are the most commonly used antibiotics to treat strep throat.
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Mustafa, Z., et al. (2020). Diagnostic methods, clinical guidelines, and antibiotic treatment for group A Streptococcal pharyngitis: A narrative review. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.
Pellegrino, R., et al. (2023). Acute pharyngitis in children and adults: Descriptive comparison of current recommendations from national and international guidelines and future perspectives. European Journal of Pediatrics.
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World Health Organization. (n.d.). Streptococcus pyogenes.
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