question on testing family members for strep

[KaraM]

HI,

 

What kind of test should I request for family members to see if we are carriers? I imagine a blood test. Is it the anti d nase b and aso?

Throat culture doesn't make sense to me.

Is there another strep blood test I am not aware of?

 

Thanks,

Kara

[Worried_Dad]

Hi, Kara:

 

I know it's different for different families... but for both my PANDAS son and me, we never had a positive rapid strep test or 48-72 hour throat culture. Both of us did have elevated ASO titers, so that's what worked for us to confirm recent (or current) strep infection. I've heard that if you combine the ASO and Anti-DNAse B titer tests, the odds of false negative on both are pretty low (though still possible).

 

As EAMom pointed out, I wasn't really a "strep carrier" in the technical sense, because I do have symptoms: just not the classic symptoms associated with strep. In case you haven't seen it, here's the topic that shares my family's story about strep testing.

 

http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7430

 

If you do throat culture and both titers listed above, your odds are pretty good (I think) that a strep infection will be detected by one of them. Hope that helps!

[EAMom]

A throat culture should be your first step. A carrier will (should) culture positive but not have symptoms (sore throat, fever). Like Worried Dad said, a ASO/anti-dnase b would be a reasonable test to follow-up with if culture is negative and you are still suspicious...

Edited March 29, 2010 by EAMom

[tpotter]

Also, make sure you get your pets checked, particularly if they are in the kennel a lot. Our vet suggested that when he found out about my boy's having PANDAS (he was more concerned, and understood the implications better than any local doctors (we go out of state for tx). Anyway, he suggested we ask the neurologist, which I did, and she called him, and told him to give the dog a big shot of penicillin (we didn't end up checking the dog...just gave him the penicillin.) It actually helped.

 

BTW, the same thing goes for not having live vaccines in other family members or pets. It can be transmitted to the child with PANDAS. There are killed vaccines that can be substituted, even for pets, as we found out, also from our wonderfully caring vet.