[header] How to treat bacterial pharyngitis [title] Have a throat swab to diagnose the specific cause of your sore throat. [step] The vast majority of sore throats (cases of pharyngitis) are viral. However, some are indeed bacterial (called " bacterial pharyngitis "). 
The first step when it comes to treating your sore throat is determining the cause, and this cannot be done based on symptoms alone. You will also need to receive a throat swab from your doctor.