…a bacterial infection of the oropharynx—the back of the throat and mouth—causing a severe sore throat. It can affect anyone but is most common in children aged between five and 15 years. Most sore throats are not caused by the bacteria that cause streptococcal pharyngitis and are the result of viruses, but the symptoms may be similar.

Symptoms

Streptococcal pharyngitis begins suddenly with a sore throat. The back of the throat will be swollen and red and the tonsils enlarged, and there may be swelling and tenderness in other parts of the neck and throat. Other symptoms include fever, chills, malaise, muscle pain and headache. Also, younger patients often have nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Patients with streptococcal pharyngitis do not usually have a cough, a runny nose or conjunctivitis and these symptoms, with a sore throat, are more likely to be caused by a virus.

Read more about streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat) in the factsheet for the general public.