Doctors have long theorized that an infection could trigger obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). In 2006, research by scientists from the National Institutes of Health, California State University, and the University of Oklahoma suggested that an antibody released against strep throat bacteria could trigger the condition.

In 2012, Stanford University established a clinic to study and treat the condition known as pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome or PANS.

About 1 percent of children and adolescents in the U.S. have OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder, which includes symptoms such as unreasonable thoughts and fears — the obsessions — that cause repetitive behaviors — compulsions. Experts disagree on how many cases of OCD can also be classified as PANS.

Some doctors believe that children who experience sudden onset of OCD symptoms should be tested for strep and other infections. According to Harvard Medical School instructor Jeff Szymanski, quick treatment with antibiotics can reverse OCD symptoms.

Other experts believe the connection between bacteria and strep is tenuous, and until stronger ties are established, children should be given cognitive-behavioral therapy and antidepressants, which are standard treatments for OCD.

One study of 47 patients treated at the Stanford clinic found that only 40 percent had a sudden onset of symptoms, the key characteristic of PANS.

Dr. Donald L. Gilbert, a neurologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, says he doesn't believe the data behind treating sudden-onset OCD symptoms with antibiotics.

"The long-term course is not different" than other types of OCD, he told the Wall Street Journal. He believes that the children would have developed OCD regardless of an infection.

Doctors across the country struggle to develop new strategies for treating PANS patients, and share their experiences via regular conference calls. Stanford held the First PANS Consensus Conference in 2013 and guidelines for treating patients are expected to be finalized at the third conference that will take place this fall.