Strep throat is caused by bacteria, while the flu is caused by a virus. Symptoms of the flu include fever, chills, body aches, coughing, and extreme tiredness. A doctor’s exam can differentiate between the two, with strep throat often showing white patches in the back of the throat. Antibiotics can treat strep throat, while bed rest and hydration are recommended for the flu. Other symptoms such as a dry cough and runny nose can indicate a viral infection or the flu.
One major difference between the flu and a sore throat is that strep throat is caused by bacteria, whereas the flu is caused by a virus. Differentiation between these conditions can be done by recognizing the main symptoms of each disease. Influenza, also known as the flu, is an upper respiratory illness characterized by fever, chills, and body aches. In the presence of flu, coughing and extreme tiredness are also common. Streptococcus will have some similar symptoms, although it does not typically cause upper respiratory symptoms such as nasal congestion and sneezing.
The flu and sore throats are both serious illnesses that can often lead to serious complications. Both the flu and sore throats are highly contagious. While the two share similarities, a surefire way to tell them apart is a doctor’s exam. If a fever and sore throat are present, your doctor will examine the back of your throat.
Generally in the case of strep throat, it is common to have white patches in the back of the throat or on the tonsils. However, these white patches are not typically found in flu patients. If your doctor recognizes signs of a sore throat, they will generally order a throat culture. A throat culture is done by swabbing the back of the throat and preparing a microscopic slide of the saliva. If the test is positive, the culture will show signs of the strep bacteria, which produces symptoms of strep throat.
If you have been diagnosed with a sore throat, you will most likely be given a course of antibiotics to kill the strain of bacteria in your body. However, antibiotics will have no impact on viral infections. If you’re suffering from the flu, bed rest, hydration, and over-the-counter pain relievers for body aches are pretty much all you can do until the virus runs its course. There are some antiviral drugs that a doctor can prescribe, but unless taken early in the disease, this drug will be ineffective.
If you haven’t seen a doctor and can’t tell the difference between the flu and a sore throat, there are other symptoms that should provide clues. A dry, dry cough accompanied by a stuffy or runny nose is almost never caused by strep throat. If you’re experiencing these symptoms, along with a sore throat and fever, you most likely have a viral infection or the flu. If, however, your only symptoms are fever, swollen glands, and difficulty swallowing, you most likely have a strep throat infection.
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