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Strep Throat
October 12, 2009 |
They’re tiny, invisible droplets and they’re lurking everywhere. They’re called
streptococcal, the bacteria that can cause strep throat.
“Strep throat is contagious,” says Dr. James Newlon. These droplets make their move
whenever a person coughs or sneezes. They could even be lurking on your kitchen
utensils and doorknobs. If they’re transferred to your nose and mouth, you will
eventually feel it.
“Sometimes the tonsils will become colonized and ironically, the tonsils are supposed
to be the guardian of the airway, sometimes they will become colonized with bad
bacteria,” adds
Dr. Newlon. These bacteria
then grow in the folds of the tonsils
resulting in strep throat. If not treated, they could do even more damage.
“Strep is a bad infection to have because there’s a lot of side effects: you can
get rheumatic fever, or a lot of negative things that go along with that,” Dr. Newlon
explains.
Doctors can easily diagnose strep throat with a basic throat culture. Normally redness,
swelling, and white streaks or pus on the tonsils will be spotted. Strep throat
can be treated with prescribed medications.
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