1. How long does treatment for strep throat usually last?
Ten to 14 days, depending on the antibiotic prescribed.
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2. How long should I stay away from other people if I have a positive test result?
You should complete at least 24 hours of antibiotics before close contact with others.
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3. When can my child go back to school?
Usually after one full day of therapy and absence of significant fever.
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4. If one child in my family has strep throat, is everyone going to get sick?
Other family members, including adults, can be infected by the
bacteria. The doctor will usually test all family members who have sore throats and may, in some instances, want to test the whole family for strep throat. Although
antibodies may protect those who have had previous strep infections, there are so many different strains of this organism that being
immune to all of them is unlikely. Therefore, someone could potentially get strep throat again and again. The best way to decrease the risk of transmission of the bacteria to others is to cover coughs and sneezes by coughing and/or sneezing into the bend of your arm or shoulder. After sneezing or coughing into a tissue or handkerchief, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water or alcohol-based hand scrub.
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5. What is an ASO test and how is it used to detect a strep infection?
Antistreptolysin O (ASO) is a blood test used to help diagnose a current or past infection with group A strep (
Streptococcus pyogenes). It detects
antibodies to streptolysin O, one of the many strep
antigens. This test is rarely ordered now compared to thirty years ago. For an
acute strep throat infection, the ASO test is not helpful; the rapid strep test or throat culture should be used. However, if a doctor is trying to find out if someone had a recent strep infection that may not have been diagnosed, this test could be helpful. In addition, it may be used to help diagnose rheumatic fever or glomerulonephritis, which occurs weeks after a strep throat infection when the rapid strep and throat culture would no longer be positive.
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6. Do other group A streptococous infections occur?
Group A streptococcus can also cause infections that occur separately from strep throat, such as
impetigo and, rarely, more invasive conditions such as toxic shock syndrome or necrotizing fasciitis (the so-called “flesh-eating bacteria”).
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