Too painful to swallow, too sick to eat — it’s a sore throat that feels worse than normal. Your first thoughts turn to strep throat. A rapid strep test in your doctor’s office is a quick method of confirming your suspicions.

Viruses cause most sore throats. However, strep throat is an infection caused by the Group A streptococcus bacteria. The infection occurs in the throat and tonsils. The germ spreads through the tiny spray that comes from an infected person’s cough or sneeze. Once you get the germ, symptoms usually appear within two to five days. Plenty of adults get strep throat. However, it is most common in children between the ages of 5 and 15.

Path to improved health

If you suspect that you have (or your child has) strep throat, don’t delay seeing your doctor. Your doctor will look at the inside of your throat using a tongue depressor and light. Physical signs of strep throat include redness as well as white or yellow spots on the tonsils. If you have strep throat, you also may have swollen glands in your neck. Your doctor will place their hands around your neck to feel for swelling. Your doctor will check your temperature (a fever of 101 degrees or more is typical with the strep infection). They will ask you if you have experienced chills, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, a rash, or an overall feeling of illness, as these are also common symptoms.

Test confirmation: After reviewing your physical signs and symptoms of strep throat, your doctor may perform a rapid strep test (also called a rapid antigen test). A rapid strep test is done in the doctor’s office during your visit. It involves sampling the bacteria from the back of your throat and tonsils. The doctor will insert a long, sterile cotton swab in your mouth and rub the back of your throat and tonsils to collect a bacteria sample. Swabbing is quick. However, the procedure can make you gag. If your child is being swabbed for strep throat, encourage them to relax and sit still to make the procedure go smoothly. Most people react with little more than a cough after the procedure.

The sample then undergoes rapid testing in the office while you wait for the results. The wait may take 7 to 15 minutes to find out if you test positive or negative for the strep infection. If the test is negative for strep bacteria, your doctor will give you tips on how to ease the pain of a sore throat (see treatment). If the results are negative, but all physical signs and symptoms point to an infection, your doctor may send the sample to an outside lab for additional testing. It could take up to 2 days to get the results. If the test is positive for the strep infection, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic to kill the bacteria.

Things to consider

Strep throat will worsen if not treated or if you don’t finish all of your antibiotic medicine. Complications from untreated strep throat include kidney inflammation or rheumatic fever (an inflammatory disease that causes pain in the joints, a certain type of rash, or heart valve damage). Other things to consider include:

• If your symptoms don’t improve within 24 to 48 hours after starting your medicine, call your doctor.
• You can continue to spread the infection to others during the first 24 to 48 hours of antibiotic use. Adults and children with strep throat should stay home from work, school, and daycare during that time.
• Replace your (or your child’s) toothbrush after the first few days of starting antibiotics. The infection can survive on your toothbrush and re-infect you or another family member if toothbrushes are kept together.
• If you have (or your child has) strep throat repeatedly, see your doctor. You may be a carrier. A carrier has strep in their throat but shows no signs of illness. Treating the carrier can keep others in your family from getting the infection.
• A rapid strep test will not find other causes of a sore throat.

Don’t share food, drink, or utensils with someone who has the strep throat infection. That’s good advice for any type of sore throat or cold symptoms.

Questions for your doctor

• How can I tell if my child’s sore throat is bad enough to see a doctor?
• Can you choose to have your tonsils taken out as a preventive move to avoid strep throat?
• Where does a strep throat rash appear on your body?

Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Strep Throat: All You Need to Know

National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus: Streptococcal Screen

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Cat and dog bites are common injuries. A family pet or a stray animal could bite you. But you can treat, and even prevent, animal bites.

Path to improved health

If a cat or dog bites you, you should:

• Wash the wound gently with soap and water.
• Apply pressure with a clean towel to the injured area to stop any bleeding.
• Apply a sterile bandage to the wound.
• Keep the wound elevated above your heart to prevent swelling and infection.

Severe bites may require additional medical attention. Call your doctor if:

• Bleeding doesn’t stop after 15 minutes of pressure.
• You think you have a broken bone, nerve damage, or serious injury.
• Your bite becomes infected. Symptoms include redness, swelling, warmth, and pus. You also may have a fever.
• You have diabetes or a condition that weakens your immune system. This includes liver or lung disease, cancer, or AIDS.
• Your last tetanus vaccine was more than 5 years ago. If so, you may need a booster shot.
• You got bit by a wild or stray animal.
• You got bit by a pet of unknown vaccination status.

Treatment for cat and dog bites varies. It’s based on the situation and severity of your injury. Below are some things your doctor may do.

• Check for signs of infection.
• Clean your wound with a special solution and remove any damaged tissue.
• Use stitches to close your wound. However, open wounds often heal faster and are less likely to get infected.
• Prescribe an antibiotic to prevent infection.
• Give you a tetanus shot if your last vaccine was more than 5 years ago.

Your doctor may want you to follow up with them. If your wound gets worse or infection starts, call your doctor right away. You may need to see a specialist if your injury is severe.

Things to consider

There are many things you can do to help prevent cat and dog bites.

• Choose your family pet carefully. Be sure to keep their vaccinations current.
• Never leave a young child alone with a pet. He or she may not know how to be gentle with the pet. This can cause the pet to get mad and bite.
• Don’t try to separate fighting animals. You may get bit in the process.
• Avoid contact with animals that are sick or have unknown vaccination records.
• Don’t disturb animals while they’re eating. Animals often are protective of their food.
• Keep your pets on a leash when in public.

The disease rabies is uncommon in cats and dogs in the United States. And most people who have cat and dog bites don’t need a rabies shot. However, rabies is common in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and coyotes.

If you’re bit by a cat or dog, and you know the owner of the pet, ask for the pet’s health records. They will show vaccinations the animal has had, including one for rabies. To be on the safe side, it’s a good idea to isolate the pet for 10 days and monitor it for signs of rabies. If the animal does show signs of the disease, a veterinarian will test it. If positive, you will need to get a series of rabies shots. You’ll get 2 shots right away and 3 more shots over a 14-day period.

If the cat or dog that bit you is a stray, or a wild animal, call animal control. They will try to find the animal to test it for rabies. In this situation, your doctor may or may not recommend the rabies shots.

If needed, report your bite incident to the proper authority. This could be animal control or the police.

Questions to ask your doctor

• What should I do with my family pet if it bites someone?
• What are the signs or symptoms of rabies?
• When should I get authorities involved?

Resources

National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus: Animal Bites

World Health Organization: Animal Bites

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