Is it possible to have a negative throat and sinus culture but have high levels of strep in a blood test. what are the possible implications?

See below: The negative cultures mean you did not have an bacterial infection in your sinus or throat. The "high levels of strep in the blood" does not refer to actual streptococci bacteria in the blood. It refers to the level of a specific antibody that the immune system makes to defend itself from a bacterial infection. A high ASO level means you may have had an infection with strep in the past 6-12 months