the.com/strep
The sore throat that demands a doctor's note, not just tea and sympathy.
means A bacterial infection (usually of the throat) caused by Streptococcus bacteria, serious enough to need antibiotics rather than home remedies.
from Short for 'streptococcus,' itself built from Greek 'streptos' (twisted, bent) and 'kokkos' (berry or seed) — a 19th-century scientific coinage describing how these bacteria link up in twisted chains when viewed under a microscope. The clipped 'strep' is a much later, casual shorthand, born once the full scientific name became common enough in doctors' offices and school nurses' rooms to need a quicker nickname.
- actual culprit
- Streptococcus pyogenes, a bacteria, not a virus
- telltale sign
- pain when swallowing, no cough involved
- why antibiotics
- untreated, it can trigger rheumatic fever later
- contagious window
- spreads until 24 hours after antibiotics start