Can you get strep throat from kissing?

How does strep spread through a kiss?

Strep throat is caused by group A strep bacteria. The CDC says these bacteria often live in the nose and throat. When an infected person talks, coughs or sneezes, they release respiratory droplets that carry the bacteria. You can get sick if you breathe in those droplets or touch your mouth or nose after touching something with droplets on it.

MedlinePlus describes the same thing more directly: strep spreads by person-to-person contact with fluids from the nose or saliva. Neither source lists kissing by name, but a kiss means face-to-face closeness and shared saliva, which is exactly how the bacteria move.

Close contact is the main risk. The CDC says close contact with someone who has strep throat is the most common risk factor, and the bacteria often spread to other people in the same household.

Is sharing a cup or fork just as risky?

Sharing is one of the routes the CDC names. You can get sick if you use the same plate, utensils or glass as someone infected with the bacteria. The CDC advises not sharing cups, utensils or bites of food with people who are sick.

The good news is that washing works. The CDC says once plates, utensils and glasses are washed, they are safe for others to use.

• Cups, water bottles and cans: use your own while one of you is sick
• Forks, spoons and bites of food: no sharing until the sick person is past the contagious window
• Toothbrushes: MedlinePlus says to keep them separate, and the sick person should get a new one after 2 or 3 days of antibiotics, before finishing the course
• Hands: wash often with soap and water, and cover coughs and sneezes

Can you get strep from someone with no symptoms?

It is possible. The CDC says some people infected with group A strep don't have symptoms or seem sick, and they can still spread the bacteria.

There is also a group called carriers: people who test positive for strep but have no symptoms. The CDC says carriers are less likely to spread the bacteria to others and very unlikely to get complications, and they generally don't need antibiotics. The sources we checked don't give a number for how often this happens.

If strep keeps coming back between the same 2 people or in the same home, MedlinePlus says it may be worth checking whether someone is a carrier, and that treating a carrier can sometimes prevent others from getting strep. That is a question for a healthcare provider, not something to sort out on your own.

I kissed someone with strep. What should I watch for?

Watch for symptoms over the next few days. The CDC says it usually takes 2 to 5 days after exposure to become ill.

These are the common signs the CDC lists. If they start, get a strep test. MedlinePlus says a provider must do a test to diagnose strep throat, because many other things can cause the same symptoms.

• A sore throat that starts very quickly
• Pain when swallowing
• Fever
• Red, swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or pus
• Swollen lymph nodes in the front of the neck
• Tiny red spots on the roof of the mouth
• Less often, especially in kids: headache, nausea or vomiting, stomach pain, or a rash (scarlet fever)

Does a cough or runny nose change things?

It can. The CDC says a cough, runny nose, hoarseness or pink eye suggest a virus, not strep, is causing a sore throat. So a sore throat with a runny nose and a cough after kissing a partner with strep may be a virus, even though you were exposed to strep.

Signs can overlap, so if you have a sore throat and a fever, get tested rather than guessing.

When is kissing OK again?

Not while the sick person has a fever or has just started treatment. The CDC says treatment with the right antibiotic for 12 hours or longer limits how well a person can pass strep on, and that people should stay home until they have no fever and at least 12 to 24 hours have passed since starting antibiotics. MedlinePlus says people can spread strep until they have been on antibiotics for 24 to 48 hours.

We cover the full timeline, and how to use those numbers for something as close as kissing, on our page about when you can kiss after strep. Whatever the timing, the person with strep should take the antibiotic exactly as prescribed. MedlinePlus says to keep taking it for the full course, usually 10 days, even though symptoms are often gone within a few days.