Positive for non-group A strep

[ncteague]

Can non-group A strep be a factor in PANDAS? While most traditional "strep throat" is group A, my daughter has tested positive for non-group A and we've seen a big difference with a basic 10-day course of antibiotics. While she is quick to respond, our 10-year-old son was not as fortunate. He was diagnosed with PANDAS when he was 8 and has been doing very well since removal of tonsils and adenoids when he was 9. From time to time we see OCD/anxiety that were part of his PANDAS presentation, but those symptoms generally pass, sometimes without antibiotics. Has anyone has experience with PANDAS that has involved non-group A strep, and if so, what was your course of treatment (antibiotics - what type?)?

[forjpj]

Don't know for sure...but I think A can sometimes "hide" itself and look like B. And there has been talk on the forum before about the "good" strep in yogurt, and how it probably isn't a good idea for pandas kids. So at this point, I wouldn't exclude any strep!! Wish I could help you more with actual facts and science!!

[Kayanne]

I don't think anyone really knows. I've heard conflicting things. In April, when I took my daughters to the ENT to start the process of tonsil removal, I was telling the doctor that my PANDAS daughter had a mild exacerbation 2 months prior when her sister and brothers were positive for strep...she had no evidence of a strep infection. His response was that the throat culture is only looking for strep A and that there is other strains of strep that may have played a factor.

 

I don't think that is what happened in our case, I think that having 3 kids in the house with strep was just too much for her immune system, and it went to her brain again.