viral infection is the organism that causes strep throat.
what is the organism that causes strep throat?
viral infection
a throat culture is a laboratory diagnostic test that evaluates for the presence of a bacterial or fungal infection in the throat. a sample from the throat is collected by swabbing the throat and placing the sample into a special cup (culture) that allows infections to grow. if an organism grows, the culture is positive and the presence of an infection is confirmed. the type of infection is found using a microscope, chemical tests, or both. if no infection grows, the culture is negative. common infectious organisms tested for by a throat culture include candida albicans known for causing thrush and group a streptococcus known for causing strep throat, scarlet fever, and rheumatic fever. throat cultures are more sensitive (81% sensitive) than the rapid strep test (70%) for diagnosing strep throat, but are nearly equal in terms of specificity.
throat culture
some strains of "s. salivarius" are being trialed for their use as a probiotic in the prevention of oral infections. some strains of "s. salivarius" are found to produce blis (bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances) which are antimicrobial peptides. these peptides display interspecies inhibition, and inhibit "streptococcus pyogenes" (which causes strep throat infections). lozenges containing s. salivarius are marketed to support immunity against more virulent streptococcus strains. people with this strain of naturally occurring "s. salivarius" on their tongue have been shown to have fewer strep throat infections. this is also being investigated for its potential to prevent rheumatic heart disease which is also caused by "s. pyogenes."
streptococcus salivarius