[TaxRelief]

From Harold Oster at the ivillagehealth.com website:

"While it is possible for an adult to get strep throat every year for 10 years, it is not common at all. Most cases of sore throat are viral infections, not strep infections. A physician can take a culture of the throat to distinguish the two. One problem with the throat culture is that as many as 10 to 15 percent of all people will have strep in their throats even with no illness. These people almost never have any problems whatsoever with the bacterium.

When I have a patient who has been diagnosed with strep throat over and over again, I take a throat culture during a period without illness. If the culture is positive, it confirms that my patient is a carrier -- which means the culture will always come out positive even when strep is not causing illness."

So you see, if your cultures are negative, then you are strep free!!!

[xsmommy]

i am rarely sick, and have never had strep. but what was odd was when my children were toddlers and routinely exposed to other kids, they never had a positive strep test. as a mother, you always long for an antibiotic to get rid of illness, instead of being sent away with a sick kid. and YES, i know all about the overprescribing of antibiotics!