Recurring Strep Throat Infection

Dear Ask The Doctor: Is it possible to give someone strep throat thru oral sex? Last summer I didn't know I had strep and I had oral sex with my husband. Since November I've now had strep 5 times and it always seems to coincide about a week after we've had oral sex. I was testested last month to see if I'm a carrier but it was negative. Could I have given it to him and now keep getting it back from him? He never has strep. I always get a new toothbrush, mouth wash, chap stick...and last time I even tried throwing away my pillow. So I don't think it's anything like that re-infecting me.

Dear Lyndye: It is possible that you may be having a reaction to the semen in your throat every time you have oral sex. More so strep throat is not transmitted (not infective) after 24 hours of the effective treatment, and it may also produce recurrent infections given the opportunity of weak immune system at any time. Thus it is possible that you may be harbouring the infection under the tonsils or the latent infection keeps reactivating, and a better solution for this is to an appropriate antibiotic treatment and if necessary tonsillectomy for removal of any chance of harbouring the infection. I am not sure if you have taken a test for the throat swab culture to rule out the carrier state, but if you had the rapid test done you should confirm it with a swab test.