Strep Carrier?

[mama2alex]

When I first joined this forum I read several mentions of people being strep carriers. I hadn't really put things together at that point, but now I am wondering if I could be a strep carrier. I have frequent sore throats, and I have had a full blown, painful strep infection once or twice in my life.

 

Here's what I'm wondering:

 

- What exactly does it mean to be a strep carrier?

 

- What are the signs of someone being a strep carrier and how can you find out for sure?

 

- If you are one, how can you protect your PANDAS child?

 

Thanks!

[thereishope]

I guess you can say a strep carrier is infected with strep but never gets symptoms of it and would never even know they had it. Strep and the person co-exist peacefully.However, they are fully capable of spreading strep to other people.

 

If you are a strep carrier, a rapid and/or culture should come positive when you have your throat swabbed. Even when you feel completely healthy.

 

I believe a lot of the time with strep carriers, they have to get a different antibiotic other than the normal penicillan or amoxicillan to erradicate it. I can't remember the name off hand.

 

Even as an adult, getting strep once or twice a year does not make you a strep carrier. Nor would they even say that warrants having your tonsils out.

 

If you are deemed a strep carrier, having your tonsils out would be the first step. T and a surgery is suppose to lower your chances of getting strep by 80%. Meaning, a 20% chance you get strep if exposed.

[ShaesMom]

When I first joined this forum I read several mentions of people being strep carriers. I hadn't really put things together at that point, but now I am wondering if I could be a strep carrier. I have frequent sore throats, and I have had a full blown, painful strep infection once or twice in my life.

 

Here's what I'm wondering:

 

- What exactly does it mean to be a strep carrier?

 

- What are the signs of someone being a strep carrier and how can you find out for sure?

 

- If you are one, how can you protect your PANDAS child?

 

Thanks!

 

Do you think the sore throats are chronic or more related to an illness? Individuals with Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia often have chronic sore throats. Do you have additional symptoms with the sore throats?

 

I have Fibromyalgia and my throat is always sore without strep.

[thereishope]

One more reason for chronic sore throats can be if you simply sleep with your mouth open. It hurts from drying out. If I find myself sleeping with my mouth open for a day or two, it can literally take a week or longer for my throat to feel better again. Try your best to be aware to sleep with your mouth closed.

[EAMom]

A strep carrier will culture positive but they won't have typical strep symptoms (sore throat, fever). A person can "carry" strep for months or years and can be contagious to others (but typically not as contagious as someone with an active strep infection).

 

My younger dd gets strep (I assume is a carrier) w/out symptoms. She will clear on Azith. The first time we tried to clear her on Augmentin and that didn't work. Her pandas sister reacts (behavior change) when her carrier sister is culture positive.

[peglem]

A strep carrier will culture positive but they won't have typical strep symptoms (sore throat, fever). A person can "carry" strep for months or years and can be contagious to others (but typically not as contagious as someone with an active strep infection).

 

My younger dd gets strep (I assume is a carrier) w/out symptoms. She will clear on Azith. The first time we tried to clear her on Augmentin and that didn't work. Her pandas sister reacts (behavior change) when her carrier sister is culture positive.

My PANDAS daughter has been declared a "carrier" by an ENT, an immunologist, and a rheumatologist. They seem to imply that we do not need to get rid of the strep because it is benign.

[Suzan]

My brother kept getting strep several years back. No one could figure out why so finally my step-mom brought everyone in for a strep test. My Dad cultured positive even though he had no symptoms. He had to go through 2 rounds of antibiotics until he finally swabbed negative. It was only then that my brother stopped getting strep.

My girls have gotten strep the last 2 times we've visited them. I have started to wonder if my Dad (or someone there) is a carrier again.

 

Susan

[EAMom]

It's so frustrating that the medical community assumes that the strep carrier state is benign. It most certainly is not when the carrier has PANDAS! Our pandas dd might also be called a carrier...she had a fever (when pandas symtpoms started) and still cultured positive 2 mo. later (when she was hospitalized). Either that she's a carrier (although she had initial fever/illness) or her sister kept re-infecting her!

[EAMom]

Get your dad cultured. People that are carriers tend to be carriers in subsequent years.