All people should know that strep throat is a bacterial infection of the throat. It is actually caused by Streptococcus bacteria. Still there are a lot of cases when strep throat is caused by other viral infections that can not be treated by using antibiotics. Scientists have been able to find many strains of the strep. Some of them can produce some troublesome toxins that can ultimately lead to the development of scarlet fever rush. The rash is believed to be the allergic reaction of the body towards the toxins produced by the strep. Left untreated serious complications may appear, and sometimes the patient might actually develop rheumatic fever. Kidney complications can also appear in some people that haven't correctly applied the treatment.

Doctors have seen that the vast majority of patients are children between the ages of 5 10 15. They have also discovered that it is very rare for children under 3 to develop strep throat. Still, those who do get infected don't manifest symptoms of sore throat. the period of the year when it is most likely to develop the illness is in the early spring, late fall and of course winter. This is believed to be because the fact that children are in closer contact than the other times of the year.

Like in all disease symptoms can vary a lot from patient to patient. The vast majority of people that develop strep throat begin to show symptoms of illness some three days after they have been exposed to the bacteria. The disease seems to begin suddenly, with the appearance of fever the following day. Other symptoms may include sore throats, headache, stomachache, nausea, or even chills.

The tonsils in the throat, even the throat al together might swell up. The tonsils also become red in appearance, sometimes covered by a gray/white/yellow coat. The moth can also bee affected by the illness. Red or purple spots may appear on the roof of the mouth, and some lymph in the neck may also become tender. Some people seem to be less affected by the disease then others. In their case the strep throat is very mild, with only a few of the symptoms described so far. And as always some people may suffer from severe symptoms.

Antibiotics are the only way to properly fight strep throat. Treating disease as soon as possible may actually prevent the development of other complications like rheumatic fever.