Question 1

my daughter has been sick twice with cold like symptoms so they did a rapid strep test. both times the rapid was negative but the cultures came back positive. she is only 22 months so i know strep is rare in her age. could she be a carrier of strep?

Accepted Answer

: Strep rarely causes "cold" symptoms, only pharyngitis (sore throat). So indeed it is possible she is a strep carrier, and the strep has nothing to do with her symptoms. This assumes her culture is positive for group A beta strep. If not, it's probably a non-pathogenic strep, not abnormal and causing no harm. Discuss with the child's pediatrician. Good luck.

Question 2

can you diagnose for strep throat online and have a rapid strep test ordered?

Accepted Answer

Yes; and Yes but No: Yes, a patient can get diagnosed with strep throat online, but that does not happen very often. The reason is because patients usually have symptoms that can be a viral, allergic, or irritant sore throat... so it is difficult to decide online that a patient has strep. Yes, a doctor can order a rapid strep test online... but No, a patient usually will not be able to find a lab that swabs throats.

Question 3

i have white spots on the sides of my throat & back of my tongue.  i had a rapid strep test done 3 days ago that came back neg. what could this be?

Accepted Answer

See PCP: How long have they been there? Any discomfort? Can you brush the back of your tongue and it goes away? It could be yeast.  See pcp for further test.

Question 4

got diagnosed with strep throat with a rapid strep test.. i dont have a sore throat. i have a slight cough and my temperature this morning was slightly elevated at 99.0-99.4 now temps normal. is this even possible?? ive never had strep before

Accepted Answer

Some basics: A percentage of the population will carry strep A year round without ever getting infected. The fraction ranges from 5-20%+/- with the change of seasons. The only way to be sure you really had strep would be antibody studies now &amp; in a few weeks. This is rarely done outside of research studies. These carriers can pass it to others.

Question 5

how common are a positive rapid strep test and negative culture?

Accepted Answer

About 2%: About 2% of the time rapid strep is false positive.

Question 6

what are the odds of having a false positive rapid strep test 3x in a row?

Accepted Answer

+ strep: Extremely unlikely.  The test is pretty good (70-90%) at detecting the disease and very good at confirming it (90-100%).

Question 7

rapid strep test negative on tuesday but given cephlex. full strep test came back positive today.  am i still contagious?

Accepted Answer

Not after 24 hours: The conventional duration of treatment is 10 days to achieve maximal pharyngeal strep eradication rates.  However, 5 days of treatment is typically sufficient.  Patients are considered no longer contagious after 24 hours of antibiotic therapy

Question 8

how early can the rapid strep  test detect the bacteria? can it be done to soon and show a false neg result?

Accepted Answer

When you: are symptomatic it can be done. If there is bacteria it will show . Doing it to soon is not a concern and will not give false negative.

Question 9

do you treat a streptococcus carrier if there are no symptoms , only a positive rapid strep test ? when do you treat ?

Accepted Answer

Need more info: Why was the test done, if there were no symptoms? Did you confirm the rapid strep with a culture? If there are no symptoms, there is no need to treat a test result that may not have been done properly.
For good health - Have a diet rich in fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk and milk products, nuts, beans, legumes, lentils and small amounts of lean meats. Avoid saturated fats. Drink enough water daily, so that your urine is mostly colorless. Exercise at least 150 minutes/week and increase the intensity of exercise gradually. Do not use tobacco, alcohol, weed or street drugs in any form. 
Practice safe sex, if you have sex.

Question 10

does it matter if strep swab was analyzed an hour after swabbed? mds here don't do rapid strep test: pharmacists do. + result valid or doubtful?

Accepted Answer

Rapid strep: Even under the best circumstances, the rapid strep is unreliable. If strep throat is a serious concern, I would ask for a culture as well.

Get Virtual Care

For Businesses

About Us

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Doctor answers about:

How to do a rapid strep test

A member asked:

My daughter has been sick twice with cold like symptoms so they did a rapid strep test. both times the rapid was negative but the cultures came back positive. she is only 22 months so i know strep is rare in her age. could she be a carrier of strep?

A member asked:

Can you diagnose for strep throat online and have a rapid strep test ordered?

A member asked:

I have white spots on the sides of my throat & back of my tongue. i had a rapid strep test done 3 days ago that came back neg. what could this be?

A member asked:

Got diagnosed with strep throat with a rapid strep test.. i dont have a sore throat. i have a slight cough and my temperature this morning was slightly elevated at 99.0-99.4 now temps normal. is this even possible?? ive never had strep before

A member asked:

How common are a positive rapid strep test and negative culture?

A member asked:

What are the odds of having a false positive rapid strep test 3x in a row?

A member asked:

Rapid strep test negative on tuesday but given cephlex. full strep test came back positive today. am i still contagious?

A member asked:

How early can the rapid strep test detect the bacteria? can it be done to soon and show a false neg result?

A member asked:

Do you treat a streptococcus carrier if there are no symptoms , only a positive rapid strep test ? when do you treat ?

A member asked:

Does it matter if strep swab was analyzed an hour after swabbed? mds here don't do rapid strep test: pharmacists do. + result valid or doubtful?

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Telemedicine

Primary Care

Manage Your Conditions

Women's Health

Children's Health

Men's Health

Senior Health

Wellness, Prevention & Lifestyle

Sexual Health

Mental & Behavioral Health

Travel Medicine

Urgent Care

Didn't find what you're looking for?

More of what we treat

Allergies

Antibiotics

Asthma

High Blood Pressure

Prescriptions

Type 2 Diabetes

For Businesses

Company

Health Content

Join Us

Download HealthTap

Questions?