What is the best treatment for strep A?

What is the best treatment for strep A?

This is the second of two articles on CKDEx on Strep A. There is a linked article: how do I know if I have strep A?

So. What is the best treatment for strep A?

Treatment for strep A 

Many mild strep A infections will get better with no treatment.

Others need to be treated with antibiotics, which are very effective. Penicillin or amoxicillin are the antibiotics of choice to treat it.

If you or your child has a strep A infection, you should stay away from nursery, school or work for 24 hours after you/they start taking antibiotics. This will help stop the infection spreading to other people.

Someone with strep throat should start feeling better in just a day or two after starting antibiotics. Call the doctor if you or your child are not feeling better after taking antibiotics for 48 hours.

What are the main do’s and dont’s if you think you have strep A?

DO: If its mild, you may not need to do anything. If you are quite unwell, ring your GP and get assessed. If confirmed by a rapid test swab, you will usually be given antibiotics. Complete the course.

If you still don’t feel right after 48-72 hours, contact the doctor again. Isolate where possible. Maintain your food and fluid intake and take regular pain medication.

DON’T: Ignore it or go to crowded places, where you may spread it.

Complications of strep A

Strep can also cause these infections. Fortunately most are rare.

• Skin infections:
  • Scarlet fever
  • Cellulitis
  • Impetigo
  • Erysipelas
  • Erythema nodosum
• Rheumatic fever (heart valve infection) – can start 1-5 weeks after the initial infection
• Meningitis
• Lymphangitis/lymphadenitis
• Otitis media
• Sinusitis
• Post-abortum and post-partum sepsis
• Pneumonia
• Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis
• Peritonsillar abscess (quinsey)
• Necrotising fasciitis
• Toxic shock syndrome
• Sepsis.

Treatment for sepsis caused by strep A

A type of strep A infection – called ‘invasive group A strep, iGAS’ – can cause sepsis (a serious infection),  which needs to be treated in hospital with intravenous antibiotics. It will also require all other components of the ‘sepsis six’ treatment pathway for sepsis.

Summary

We have described what is the best treatment for strep A? We hope you understand it better now.

Other resources

UKHSA has up-to-date information on strep A here.
What is sepsis

Last Reviewed on 20 April 2024