What Is Strep Throat? Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Q: Is it OK to leave strep throat untreated?

In general, strep throat shouldn’t be left untreated . Antibiotics reduce the risk of complications, limit the spread of infection, and help you feel better more quickly. For these reasons, most healthcare professionals recommend treating strep throat with antibiotics.

Key takeaways:

Strep throat is a highly contagious infection of the soft tissues of your throat. It’s caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria.
Strep throat is usually a minor illness that can get better on its own. But left untreated, strep throat can sometimes cause serious complications.
Medications for strep throat target the bacteria that cause the infection. Strep throat is treated with antibiotics.

Sore throats are a common reason to visit your primary care provider. Fortunately, most cases of sore throat go away on their own and aren’t anything to worry about. But a strep throat infection is different: It can sometimes result in serious complications.

Let’s take a closer look at what strep throat is, the symptoms, how it’s diagnosed, and how it’s treated.

What is strep throat?

Strep throat is a common bacterial infection of the tonsils and soft tissues at the back of your throat. It’s most often diagnosed in children ages 3 to 15. But adults and teens can get strep throat too.

Most strep throat infections are minor illnesses. But some can be very serious or lead to complications.

What causes strep throat?

Strep throat is caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pyogenes (also called group A Strep, or GAS). GAS is very contagious and spreads easily from person to person. Some of the ways you might pick up GAS bacteria are:

Being near an infected person when they laugh, cough, sneeze, talk, or sing
Having direct contact with respiratory secretions from an infected person
Drinking or eating after someone who is infected
Touching your nose, face, or mouth after touching a contaminated surface

Symptoms of strep throat

Almost everyone has had a sore throat at some point. But how can you tell when to see a healthcare professional for a sore throat?

Strep throat symptoms are usually a bit different from those of a sore throat caused by a viral infection. Signs that you might have strep throat include:

Sudden sore throat
Pain with swallowing
No cough
Fever
Red throat with white patches
Swollen, tender glands in your throat

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Quiz: Do I have strep throat?

How is strep throat diagnosed?

When you go to a healthcare professional for a sore throat, they’ll ask about your symptoms and do a physical exam to look for signs of strep throat. Some of the physical signs of strep throat include:

White patches on your tonsils
Red spots on the back of your throat
Swollen or tender lymph nodes in your neck

These signs may point to strep throat. But you’ll probably still need a throat swab to confirm the diagnosis. A throat swab can be used for a rapid strep test, which gives results in minutes, or a throat culture, which takes a few days.

How do you treat strep throat?

Strep throat needs to be treated with antibiotics to reduce the risk of complications. The most common antibiotics used to treat strep throat are:

While you’re taking your antibiotics, there are things you can do at home to help manage your symptoms. Tips for caring for yourself when you have strep throat include:

Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen, for fever and throat pain
Using lozenges or honey to soothe your throat
Using a humidifier
Staying hydrated
Getting plenty of rest
Eating foods that are soft or easy to swallow, like ice cream, broth, applesauce, and Jell-O
Saltwater gargles

What are possible complications of strep throat?

A strep throat infection isn’t usually serious and will likely go away on its own. But it’s recommended to treat strep throat with antibiotics. That helps clear the infection and can prevent some of the rare but potentially life-threatening complications.

Serious complications of strep throat include:

Peritonsillar abscess: a collection of pus behind your tonsils
Retropharyngeal abscess: a collection of pus behind your throat
Mastoiditis: an infection of the mastoid bone behind your ear
Acute rheumatic fever: inflammation of your heart, joints, and brain
Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis: a type of kidney disease
PANDAS: short for “pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with strep infections,” which can cause extreme neurological or behavior changes

How long are you contagious with strep throat?

You’re still contagious for about 12 to 24 hours after starting antibiotics for strep throat. You’ll usually start to feel better during that time. A person who has untreated strep throat may be contagious for up to 3 weeks. Treatment with antibiotics reduces the risk of spreading the infection by shortening the time a person is contagious.

How can you prevent strep throat?

Strep throat is highly contagious. Taking steps to stop its spread can protect people who are at greatest risk. Here are some of the things you can do to prevent strep throat:

Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your bent elbow.
Wash your hands often.
If you’re infected, wear a mask around other people or avoid being around others.
Don’t share drinking glasses or utensils.
Wash glasses and utensils with hot water and dish soap.
If you’ve been prescribed antibiotics, make sure you finish them.

Unfortunately, there’s no vaccine or medication to prevent strep throat. The best way to protect yourself is to be careful about avoiding germs.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, strep throat can go away on its own without antibiotic treatment. It can take about 5 days for strep to go away without antibiotics. But when left untreated, you may be at risk of serious complications.

In general, strep throat shouldn’t be left untreated. Antibiotics reduce the risk of complications, limit the spread of infection, and help you feel better more quickly. For these reasons, most healthcare professionals recommend treating strep throat with antibiotics.

You should start to feel better within a day or two after starting an antibiotic for strep throat. Treating strep throat helps people recover faster and prevents complications.

Classic signs of strep throat include a sudden sore throat, fever, lack of cough, and white spots on your tonsils. But you can’t be sure you have strep throat without testing. There are at-home strep tests available. Some give instant results, while others require you to mail in a sample. Look for tests that are FDA-approved to make sure that results are accurate and reliable.

Herbal tea, cold water, and low-acid fruit juices can all help soothe a sore throat. In addition to helping ease the pain of a sore throat, staying hydrated supports your body while you fight off infection.

The bottom line

Strep throat is a common throat infection. It’s highly contagious and spread through respiratory fluids from an infected person. Children between the ages of 3 and 15 are most often affected. But it can sometimes infect adults, too.

Strep throat is almost always a minor illness. Rarely, it can lead to serious, life-threatening complications. Antibiotics are the preferred treatment to clear the infection, reduce its spread, and prevent complications.

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Written by:

Frank Schwalbe, MD

Frank Schwalbe, MD, is an assistant professor of anesthesiology at the Yale School of Medicine. He has practiced anesthesiology for 30 years.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

Reviewed by:

Christine Giordano, MD

Christine Giordano, MD, is board-certified in general internal medicine. She received her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed residency at Thomas Jefferson University.

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