Do I Need Antibiotics for Strep Throat?
Do I Need Antibiotics for Strep Throat? Strep is an abbreviation for a family of bacteria called “streptococci.” Strep throat occurs when the throat and surrounding structures become infected with this bacteria.Answer: Strep throat should be treated with an antibiotic for many reasons. It reduces the duration of symptoms, prevents the complications associated with local spread, prevents the rare but serious complications of untreated streptococci infections such as rheumatic fever (immune system triggered damage to heart valves) or glomerulonephritis (damaged kidneys), and reduces the spread to close contacts. Before your doctor prescribes an antibiotic, he will likely verify the cause of your symptoms by performing a rapid strep test. Occasionally, a rapid strep test will have false negative results. For this reason, the
