So how do you know if you have Strep Throat, a Cold, or the Flu? Knowing which it is may save you a trip to urgent care. Here is a simple summary to help.
Streptococcus pyogenes : a bacteria, not a virus.
• No cough (key)
• Sudden sore throat
• Red swollen tonsils with white spots–not pus
• Pain when swallowing
• Fever
• Swollen neck glands
• Loss of appetite
• Headache
• Abdominal pain
about 50% are rhinovirus
2 day incubation time 36~72 hrs
3-10 days duration
• Sneezing & Coughing (key)
• Slow onset
• Sore Throat
• Pus or exudate in back of throat
• Runny nose
• Red, itchy or watery eyes
• Usually no fever if caused by rhinovirus or corinavirus
2 day incubation time 36~72 hrs
5 days to 2 weeks duration
• Sudden onset “hits you like a ton of bricks” (key)
• Muscle / body aches
• Fever causing chills & sweats
• Fatigue
• Nasal congestion that follows a sore throat
• Congestion / stuffed up
• Headache
• Swollen glands
A FEW NOTES ABOUT VIRUSES
• Unlike bacteria, viruses cannot multiply or thrive on surfaces because they need living cells of a host, but may survive on a surface for about 3 hours.
• Cold viruses, i.e. rhinovirus, thrive in lower humidity. If your house is too dry or the humidity outside is low, the lining of your nose is likely to be drier.
• Cold viruses live only in the nose of humans, not animals (except primates).
• Cold viruses reproduce every 8 hours.
• Cold virus can still be contagious 3 days after symptoms disappear.
sources for this article:
WebMD & Wikipedia
Understanding Colds http://www.commoncold.org/understand.htm
Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials
New York Times Health “The Claim: A Cold is Contagious Only Before Symptoms Emerge” By Anahad O’Connor March 15, 2005
