strep question please answer?

Question

about how long does strep stay contagious?

Answer 1

Once you've been on antibiotics for about 24 hours you're usually good.

Answer 2

Hello,

How long any bacterial infection remains contagious depends on many variables. There is no single "strep" infection. Streptococcus bacteria exist in many different species, and each will remain contagious as long as there are enough living bacteria to infect another person, and as long as the appropriate method of contagion continues to exist. Many bacteria in the Streptococcus genus have developed major resistance to most or all oral antibiotics (due to their overuse in viral infections, for which antibiotics are totally useless), and only respond to 1 or more IV antibiotics.
If your strep infection is susceptible (meaning it will be easily killed) to oral antibiotice, you could remain contagious for up to several days after contracting the bacteria yourself. Many people are actually "carriers" of various strains of Strep, so can remain continuously contagious while they may have no symptoms of infection at all. If we assume you have a susceptible variety of Strep, and if you are on an antibiotic that a culture and sensitivity report has shown to be effective, within 24 hours, your body and the medication will kill around 99% of the bacteria. This sounds good until you remember that an infection could involve literally billions of bacteria. Over the next 24 hours, your body and the drug will kill 99% of the remaining 1% missed the first day. This will continue at the same "kill" rate each day until your body has totally eliminated the bacteria. That's why most antibiotics are prescribed for 10 to 14 days, and why it is so very important that you complete the course of treatment, EVEN IF YOU FEEL FINE!!! You feel fine because the treatment is working. If you stop treatment before all the bacteria are killed, you run the risk of re-infection, development of resistance to the drug, and the risk of again becoming contagious.

If your strep infection is one requiring IV antibiotics and hospital isolation, you will remain contagious for a considerably longer period of time, since the bugs are not so easily killed. Some people can remain potentially contagious for weeks. Again, correct diagnosis, identification of the variety of Strep, selection of the right drug(s) and adherence to ALL treatment recommendations will determine not only how long you may remain contagious, but how quickly you will recover yourself.
Some of the best things to reduce chances of contagion are:
1. If you're sick, STAY HOME! Don't start an epidemic by going to work if you feel badly. That serves no one well, and could result in serious illnesses in immune-compromised friends, co-workers, and/or their families or loved ones (such as people with HIV, AIDS, chemotherapy patients, etc.).
2. Wash your hands frequently, especially after you have coughed, sneezed, blown your nose, gone to the bathroom, handled objects others have or will also handle. Good handwashing techniques can eliminate nearly 80 to 90% of contagious bacterial or viral infections.
3. Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough, since many infections are spread by air-borne contact with droplets from coughs or sneezes.
4. Complete your prescribed course of treatment 100%, no matter how well you feel after a few days of taking antibiotics.
5. Stop or don't start smoking, since tobacco use impairs the immune system and can reduce the effectiveness of certain antibiotics.
I hope this gives you some help, and I hope you feel better soon.

Answer 3

Within about 24 hours after you start taking the antibiotics, your temperature will probably be back to normal, and you will no longer be contagious. By the second or third day after taking antibiotics, the other symptoms should start to go away, too.

Answer 4

could be contagious for up to 21 days

Answer 5

About three days or until there isn't a fever anymore. I've always been told that a fever indicates that you can spread whatever you have to others.