How can you tell if a cold is caused by a virus or bacteria?
Many doctors believe that they can accurately distinguish bacterial from viral colds. They are deluded. Well-established signs algorithms, like the Centor and McIsaac criteria, are not very accurate. Of the patients that show all four elements of strep infection (fever, exudates, tender lymph nodes, absence of cough), only about 60% actually have strep throat[1] . Read More …