Can Infants Get Strep Throat?

Strep throat tends to occur most often in children between 5 and 15 years old. But can infants get strep throat? The answer is yes -- strep throat can affect anyone, including infants, young children, and adults.
 
However, it can often be challenging to diagnose strep throat in infants and younger children because they do not always have the classic signs of this throat infection. Instead, they have more uncharacteristic symptoms.
 
For example, infants younger than one year of age may have:
 
  • Low-grade fever -- less than or equal to 101ºF (38.3ºC)
  • Decreased appetite
  • Fussiness.
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Symptoms of strep throat in children younger than three years old may include:
 
  • Low-grade fever -- less than or equal to 101ºF (38.3ºC)
  • Nasal congestion
  • Nasal discharge
  • Tender or swollen lymph glands in the neck.
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(Click Strep Throat Symptoms for more detail on the symptoms and signs of strep throat in infants, children, and adults. This article outlines specific symptoms of this throat infection and explains why these symptoms need treatment.)
 
List of references (click here)
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
 
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