Culture & Sensitivity Throat Swab:
Why Culture and Sensitivity - Throat Swab Test?
CLINICAL INFORMATION
The structures of the throat include the esophagus, trachea, epiglottis and tonsils. The purpose of throat swab is to detect the presence of harmful pathogenic organisms in the throat that cause infection such as strep throat caused by group A Streptococcus pyogenes. Apart from causing throat infections, some of these infections can also extend up triggering resulting in secondary manifestations and further complications like scarlet fever, rheumatic fever (it affects bone joints and heart i.e heart disease affecting valves and also affects kidney eg. post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis), abscess, pneumonia, whooping cough, tonsillitis, respiratory diseases (chronic/acute respiratory distress syndromes that may lead to chronic obstructive or restrictive lung diseases), meningitis etc. some of the signs and symptoms include sore throat, redness, swelling, white streaks or pus on the tonsils, red or yellow spots on the roof of the mouth, swelling of lymph nodes along the sides of the neck that may cause difficulty in swallowing, nausea, vomiting, stomach-ache and exhibit symptoms of a common cold which include sneezing, coughing, running or stuffy nose, shortness of breath, palpitations etc. A throat culture is thus a laboratory diagnostic test that evaluates for the presence of any infection in the throat. When a throat swab (test of choice) becomes difficult in some cases due to intense cough or repeated gag reflex in spite of applying tongue depressor, then mouth swab becomes an alternative choice till the meantime. Tests for supporting evidence include various other specimens eg. urine tests, blood tests, sweat tests and also further investigations like spirometry, X-rays of the chest, CT Scan of head and neck and/or chest region etc.
General Instructions:
Sample Requirement: Specimen –Throat swab. Test Preparation: None.
NOTE - Sample for specimen collections may vary based on the patient’s condition/cases according to the patient’s presenting complaints/signs or symptoms:
SPECIMEN REQUIREMENT (Special or Rare Cases) - As instructed and guided by Physician / Clinician / Pathologist / as per Laboratory’s requirements, according to procedures and protocols.
Sample Requirement: Throat swab
Test Preparation: None
This Multi-Specialty Clinical Referral Laboratory RTDIAGNOSTICS provides precise and accurate tests with an extensive range of testing services to the medical centres to help in the diagnosis and identification of pathology in the test specimens for infectious diseases and also to evaluate the function of organ systems of the patient. It prevents further complications and helps to stabilize and restore health to near normalcy at the earliest without delay.
