Home > Conditions / Ailments > Strep Throat / Streptococcus > DESCRIPTION Strep throat is a sore throat caused by the Streptococcus bacteria rather than a virus. Strep throat is important to diagnose and treat because certain kinds of strep may cause significant problems if left untreated. Most sore throats are not strep but instead are caused by viruses. A throat culture or Strep test is needed to accurately diagnose strep. It is not possible to accurately tell if a sore throat is caused by a strep infection from just looking at the throat itself. The symptoms of strep throat can resemble the sore throat caused by different viruses or organisms. Symptoms of strep throat may include: significant fever of approximately 101 degrees Fahrenheit or higher pus, or white spots, on either or both the tonsils and throat area when the tonsils have been previously removed swollen and or tender lymph nodes in the throat area below the ear where the jaw bone and neck meet a feeling of being sicker than you normally would be with a cold potentially flu symptoms Though other bacterial causes of a sore throat exist strep is the most common. It requires a visit to your doctor and treatment with antibiotics. Usually the antibiotic of choice for treating strep throat is a penicillin drug, or other substitute, if a person is allergic to penicillin. A strep throat, when treated with an antibiotic, usually gets better rapidly. Within 24 to 48 hours, the pain goes away and youll feel relatively well. Self Help: There are some things you can do at home to help relieve some of the symptoms of Strep Throat. gargle with a dilution of tea tree oil(1 part per 200) and warm salt water 1/4 teaspoon of salt to 4 ounces of warm water; drink additional amounts of fluids avoid citrus products like orange juice which may add to discomfort because of high levels of acidity it may be beneficial to use an anesthetic and antiseptic spray, gargle or anesthetic lozenges. Children and teenagers should not take aspirin as aspirin use in these age groups has been associated with a rare but serious brain and liver disorder called Reyes syndrome. Pregnant women should consult their physician prior to taking any over-the-counter medication. Other people, including persons with medical conditions are advised to read product labels carefully and consult a pharmacist if they have questions about use. Problems that may result from untreated strep include: rheumatic fever, which can cause arthritis and heart problems, nephritis which is a kidney inflammation resulting in bleeding into the kidney and urine, scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, is another, non-serious, but common complication of strep throat. The main symptom of scarlet fever is a skin rash that looks like pinkish-red goose bumps. This rash usually starts under the arms and in the groin area, then spreads to the rest of the body. Contagious: It is important to remember that whether or not a sore throat is caused by a virus or bacteria it is contagious. Preventing its spread is helped by: good hand washing not sharing eating utensils, or drinking from the same container used by the ill person and avoiding close contact such as kissing, handshaking or wrestling while ill SUGGESTED PRODUCTS: For More Product Information & Alternative Formats, Click Item Descriptions.