Microbiology Disease

What is Strep Throat???
Strep throat is a bacterial infection of the throat which is also known as streptococcal pharyngitis. Strep throat is contagious and of left untreated, it can cause serious and life-threatening complications.

Causes:
Streptococcal bacteria are highly contagious. They can spread through airborne droplets when someone with the infection coughs or sneezes, or through shared food or drinks. You can also pick up the bacteria from a doorknob or other surface and transfer them to your nose, mouth or eyes.

Signs and Symptoms:

• raw, scratchy feeling of the throat
• enlarged, painful tonsils
• skin rash
• fever
• difficulty in swallowing
• drooling- more often seen in young children
• swollen and painful lymph nodes of the neck

Treatment

Once strep throat is diagnosed, antibiotics are usually prescribed for oral administration. Sometimes penicillin injections may be necessary in a young child where vomiting or difficulty swallowing may affect oral administration. Antibiotics also help to contain the spread of infection to others as well as reduce chances of complications. The oral antibiotics which are normally given for strep throat are penicillin, amoxicillin, cephalosporin, or azithromycin. Clarithromycin or clindamycin may also be used.
Pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen may help to relieve throat pain, headache and fever.
In addition, general measures such as adequate rest, plenty of fluids, salt water gargles, throat lozenges, and avoiding foods which irritate the throat may be useful. Often, adding moisture to the air by means of a humidifier or using saline nasal sprays helps to keep the mucus membrane of the throat moist.
Tonsillectomy (surgical removal of the tonsils) may be considered in cases of recurrent episodes of strep throat or tonsillitis, or in cases of persistent peri-tonsillar abscess in spite of drainage.

References:
mayoclinic.org
healthhype.com