Strep how long after exposure

A sore throat that starts quickly, pain with swallowing, and fever are some of the common signs and symptoms of strep throat. Anyone can get strep throat, but there are some factors that can increase the risk of getting this common infection.

Strep throat is more common in children than adults. It is most common in children 5 through 15 years old. It is rare in children younger than 3 years old. Adults who are at increased risk for strep throat include:. Close contact with another person with strep throat is the most common risk factor for illness.

For example, if someone has strep throat, it often spreads to other people in their household. Infectious illnesses tend to spread wherever large groups of people gather together. Crowded conditions can increase the risk of getting a group A strep infection. These settings include:. Only a rapid strep test or throat culture can determine if group A strep is the cause.

A doctor cannot tell if someone has strep throat just by looking at his or her throat. A rapid strep test involves swabbing the throat and running a test on the swab. The test quickly shows if group A strep is causing the illness.

If the test is positive, doctors can prescribe antibiotics. If the test is negative, but a doctor still suspects strep throat, then the doctor can take a throat culture swab. A throat culture takes time to see if group A strep bacteria grow from the swab.

While it takes more time, a throat culture sometimes finds infections that the rapid strep test misses. Culture is important to use in children and teens since they can get rheumatic fever from an untreated strep throat infection. For adults, it is usually not necessary to do a throat culture following a negative rapid strep test. Adults are generally not at risk of getting rheumatic fever following a strep throat infection.

Someone with strep throat should start feeling better in just a day or two after starting antibiotics. Call the doctor if you or your child are not feeling better after taking antibiotics for 48 hours. Doctors treat strep throat with antibiotics. Either penicillin or amoxicillin are recommended as a first choice for people who are not allergic to penicillin.

Most of the time, however, a person will develop symptoms of the illness three days after he has been infected. Most people who are in the incubation period for strep throat are not even aware they have been exposed.

A person is exposed to the bacterium that cause this illness when an infected person coughs or sneezes and sends droplets containing the bacteria into the air.

It is also possible to be infected through sharing food or kissing. An infected person may cough, sneeze, or share food with another person, for example, and pass the bacteria on before he knows he is infected.

Additionally, a person may be infected by touching a surface that has the bacteria on it and then touching his mouth or nose. Once the two- to five-day incubation period for strep throat ends, a person may develop the symptoms of strep throat. These include pain in the throat, problems swallowing, and reddened tonsils.

A person with this condition may also develop red spots on the roof of his mouth, a rash, and a fever. How much time does it take till symptoms of strep throat show? Found in: Streptococcal infection. People also asked How long after exposure to strep does it take your body to feel its symptoms? Can you tell me how much time should I watch my 11 week old for symptoms after exposure to strep?

How long should I watch my 11 week old for symptoms after exposure to strep bacteria? Throat sore 2. Exposure to strep. Just looked--looks like canker sore surrounded by redness, s. No worry? Ive had a sore throat for 7 wks. White spots. Some green mucus. Not strep. It occurred 1 hr. Doesnt it take longer than a few hours for symptoms to present themselves.

Is my sore throat from that person or not? What do I have.