Strep question - asymptomatic carriers, incubation, etc

[Spryte]

This doesn't really matter. But I have strep, after a month of being ill with other things, and I'm just thinking, trying to figure out how yet another germ has been introduced to the petri dish that seems to be our home... (yes, I am sanitizing like crazy but we have 2 family members with compromised immune systems so we tend to catch everything).

 

We have friends who have strep frequently.  In fact, they just had another round of it last week. I have wondered if maybe one of the parents is an asymptomatic carrier.  On Fri night, they sent dinner to DH and me, because we couldn't make it to a party at their place (because of we were all sick with sinus stuff).  So they sent us a plate of awesome BBQ and other goodies, and we enjoyed every bite.  :)

 

Sat night, in the middle of the night, I started getting sicker, and I *knew* it was strep.  Went to a drive up doc on Sun and got the positive test.  

 

Could a plate of food have transmitted strep?  

 

I wonder if maybe I was more susceptible than DH, since I've been sick off and on all month (along with the kids) and because my immune system is compromised?  

 

Or maybe I picked it up somewhere else, who knows.  Just a random thought.  

 

[Momof3littles]

I've heard that even pets can be carriers, and that it is something to consider in families with chronic strep. My dd has a girl in her dance class worth ongoing strep issues. Her mom is a biologist, do I would assume has considered whether their pets could be carriers. Her mom jokes about how her dd is constantly battling it and on antibiotics off and on all the time.

 

No idea on the plate of food but I hope you recover soon.

[Spryte]

Pets?  Oh my.  I had no idea.

 

 

[goldberry]

That would seem a very short incubation time to me.  24 hours?  I read it is 2-5 days, but typically 3.

[J-rap]

I can't imagine picking it up through cooked food, and 24 hours seems almost too fast to catch it and show signs of it.  I think usually it sits in your system longer.  We've had rounds of strep that are really hard to completely get rid of.  It's possible that someone in your own family is a silent carrier!  I've also heard that pets can pass the germ, and toothbrushes can hold them.  We've been told to replace our toothbrushes every time we get strep.  And of course if someone else who has strep has a toothbrush touching yours, then you'd need to replace yours too.

[Sdel]

Just an FYI for us girls.....strep can thrive "down there" without causing any symptoms.  That is why it is routinely tested for during pregnancy these days and if you are positive they'll give you a round of antibiotics before delivery.

 

Stefanie

[VeganCupcake]

Just an FYI for us girls.....strep can thrive "down there" without causing any symptoms.  That is why it is routinely tested for during pregnancy these days and if you are positive they'll give you a round of antibiotics before delivery.

 

Stefanie

 

About 25% of women at any time have group B strep in their vaginas or rectums and it's transient and benign, unless one is going to give birth in the next few weeks, in which case it can cause illness in about 1 in 200 babies, if untreated. Group B strep does not give you strep throat, though--strep throat is Group A strep.

 

OP, you didn't get strep from anyone's vagina. :)

[Mommyof4ks]

Immune compromised people are good at carrying strep, and they often spend time at doctors offices and hospitals where it is easy to recolonize. My ds was a carrier while on cancer treatment, and he would get impetigo around his mouth, which is caused by the strep virus, and bam the other two kids got strep throat within a few days. Once his immune system was stronger he was able to fight it off with the help of a round of antibiotics, but his body was strong enough to help tackle it for good. Too much cleaning can wipe out the good bacteria on your body, and of course you absorb those cleaners through your skin and in your lungs, which further hurts your immune system, so be sure to replenish your good bacteria with probiotics, and eat plenty of fresh veggies and fruits (not that that helps the immune compromised since they cannot eat those things). Remember to wash all cloth things in the house including pillows, couch cushions, and toys, and get new toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwash. Strep is a wicked bug.

[The Governess]

I have had strep twice in the last two years, and my daughter has had it once. She got it right after a prolonged illness; I got it both times when I was physically exhausted/overwhelmed with life. My thinking is that we probably come into contact with it more often than we realize, but that our immune systems can generally handle it/ clean it out before we become symptomatic. In my family, it's only something we "catch" when we are already down. I even wonder if it's lurking in our systems quietly and only makes itself known when our immune system is busy tackling something else.

 

At any rate, the best defense I have against it is keeping immune systems strong, getting enough sleep, and generally staying healthy.

[Momof3littles]

Pets?  Oh my.  I had no idea.

 

Yeah, weird, but worth considering for a family battling it chronically. I don't think it is incredibly likely, but it is something I'd look at ruling in or out if we were battling it a few times a year without explanation.

 

I did see while searching that dogs likely pick it up from humans and then become carriers vs. being the ones to introduce it into a household.

[wintermom]

In the OP's specific case, I'd suspect the plate, the food on the plate or the direct contact from the person. No real way of knowing for sure, though. It could have been from another source. I'd pretend it was from a different source and not blame your friend. She was trying to be nice. I'd avoid food from a sick person in the future, though.

[Nemom]

About 25% of women at any time have group B strep in their vaginas or rectums and it's transient and benign, unless one is going to give birth in the next few weeks, in which case it can cause illness in about 1 in 200 babies, if untreated. Group B strep does not give you strep throat, though--strep throat is Group A strep.

 

OP, you didn't get strep from anyone's vagina. :)

http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/44/5/e43.full

 

While rare, it is possible to have Group A strep in the vagina. I have a friend with two dd's who frequently get this. Neither girl is a carrier nor have they been able to have either dx'd as immune compromised. Their friends at school get strep throat and shortly afterwards they are both sick with strep as well-but not in their throat.

[Spryte]

Well, I'm glad to see that most posters here are able to say the word vagina.   :lol:  (Sorry, bad reference to another post!)

 

OP here.  I don't think we have an asymptomatic carrier in our house.  We don't battle strep here normally.  We've been sick on and off for 6 weeks, but the kids were both swabbed twice during that time, and it was negative.  It was a virus turned sinus infection for them, then Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease.  Which was horrible, by the way.

 

For me, it was the same sinus infection - which had cleared up, I'd just finished abx, when all this started, and was feeling pretty well.  But I have a compromised immune system, and tend to catch anything that comes my way.

 

I'm not sure where the strep came from, we haven't really left the house since everyone's been so sick (since the kids were contagious, we were keeping them home).  The only outside contact was our yummy plate of food from the sweet neighbors whose son had had strep.  But he was off abx and well by the time they sent the food.  So who knows?  They do battle strep frequently, which made me wonder if they have an asymptomatic carrier.  I don't know.

 

I guess the good news is ... my sore throat is gone.   :hurray: Still taking the abx, of course, and I'll finish the course.  The doc said it's not uncommon to have strep with a sinus infection as the post nasal drip gives a nice environment for the strep to grow.  Ick.

 

In other news, I now have Hand Foot and Mouth also.   :svengo: Feet are so painful I can barely hobble around, and hands are too painful to hold a coffee cup (which is the true tragedy here).  Let me tell you, HFM in an adult - it's *not* mild!  Oh, the misery.