Strep throat is a bacterial infection that can cause a sore, scratchy throat. It’s important to recognize the symptoms of strep throat because if left untreated, it can lead to more serious conditions. A sore throat that comes with a fever, swollen lymph nodes, and no cough is more likely to be strep throat. The responsible pathogen, Group A Streptococcus (GAS), can sometimes lead to severe and invasive infections like pneumonia, sepsis, and toxic shock syndrome.

In addition to fever, it can cause several other symptoms such as arthritis (joint inflammation), rashes, subcutaneous nodules (bumps under the skin), chorea (involuntary movements of the extremities), and heart disease. Symptoms typically begin two to three weeks after a strep infection. The characteristic arthritis of ARF is migratory, affecting many joints.

There are four tell-tale signs of strep throat: firstly, not having a cough. So, if your throat hurts and you don’t have a cough, you’re more likely to have strep. If you push on the front part of your neck and feel your glands, or your lymph nodes — sometimes we’ll call them glands — and it’s swollen, that’s another sign. However, bacteria like Group A Strep can move beyond the throat or skin and enter the bloodstream, lungs, fluid in the spinal cord, or other places inside the body where they would not typically be found. Invasive Group A Strep infections are severe and can cause diseases like pneumonia, sepsis, toxic shock syndrome, and a serious skin and tissue infection known as necrotizing fasciitis.

Rarer still, Group A strep can enter the bloodstream and cause toxic shock syndrome, a life-threatening, overwhelming infection. These latter conditions are examples of invasive strep, meaning that the infection is in parts of the body typically free from germs. They seem to be on the rise after a marked reduction in their occurrence during the early 20th century.

Strep throat and other forms of bacterial pharyngitis cause sore throat, pain with swallowing, and a red throat. These symptoms tend to be more severe with strep throat compared to viral pharyngitis. Other symptoms that often occur with strep throat include fever, body ache, and a generally sick feeling. Most health care providers can diagnose and treat strep throat. The only way to know for sure if your illness is strep throat is to get tested at a doctor’s office with a rapid strep test or a throat culture.

Viral infections cause about 80% of sore throats, but strep throat is caused by bacteria called Group A Streptococcus or Group A Strep. Strep throat only accounts for about 15% of all sore throats in adults. The only way to confirm strep throat is to visit a health care provider for a throat culture. Prevention includes practicing good hygiene, such as frequent handwashing and not sharing eating utensils.

A sore throat can be caused by many different factors, and it’s essential to determine whether it’s due to a viral or bacterial infection. Strep throat, a bacterial infection, requires antibiotics for treatment. If you have a sore throat, a rapid strep test or a throat culture conducted by a health care provider is the only way to know for sure. Mild body aches, runny nose, and a low-grade fever are more commonly associated with viral infections and do not typically require antibiotics.