If this quick test is negative, but your doctor still believes you might have strep, your doctor will take a sample of your throat fluids for more intensive testing in a laboratory. If there is some uncertainty, the doctor may want to do a strep test.Ī rapid strep test is done in your doctor's office, takes only a few minutes to do and detects 80% to 90% of all cases of strep throat. If your doctor is quite sure that you have strep throat, he or she may prescribe antibiotics without further testing. DiagnosisĪfter reviewing your symptoms, the doctor will ask if you might recently have been exposed to someone with strep throat or any other infection involving the throat, nose or ears.Īfter recording your temperature, your doctor will examine you, paying particular attention to your mouth, throat, nose, ears and the lymph nodes in your neck. This throat infection, commonly called thrush, usually affects infants and people with weakened immune systems.Ī sore throat that lasts for more than a couple of weeks may be caused by acid reflux from the stomach, breathing through the mouth in a dry environment, postnasal drip or, rarely, a tumor. In addition to viral and bacterial pharyngitis, an infection with fungi (Candida or "yeast") sometimes can cause throat pain, difficulty swallowing and white patches inside the mouth. As a general rule, if you have a prominent cough and nasal symptoms you are more likely to have viral pharyngitis than strep throat.
The most common cause of sore throat is infection with bacteria or a virus.īecause an infection of the pharynx almost always involves the tonsils, tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils) was once a common name for infectious pharyngitis.Ībout 90 percent of throat infections are caused by a virus.