Throat swab – culture

Opis produktu

Why a throat swab is tested

A throat swab culture detects bacteria and fungi responsible for pharyngitis and tonsillitis and determines their susceptibility to antibiotics (antibiotic susceptibility testing). The most important pathogen is group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes), which causes 15–30% of cases of pharyngitis in children and a few per cent in adults, and requires antibiotic treatment because of the risk of complications. The remaining 80–90% of cases of pharyngitis are caused by viruses, which a culture cannot detect and antibiotics cannot treat; the test therefore enables targeted treatment rather than treating blindly.

When to consider this test

• fever, severe throat pain when swallowing, patches on the tonsils, enlarged and tender lymph nodes in the neck, without a runny nose or cough (signs of bacterial tonsillitis),
• recurrent tonsillitis, no improvement after antibiotics, suspected carriage within the family,
• before deciding whether to remove the tonsils, or if complications develop after tonsillitis (joint pain, kidney inflammation),
• chronic pharyngitis, white patches in people who have taken antibiotics or used inhaled steroids (fungal infection),
• public health screening for infectious diseases and testing requested by an occupational health doctor.

How to prepare

• Ideally, attend in the morning, before breakfast and brushing your teeth. For at least 2 hours, avoid eating, drinking, chewing gum, smoking, rinsing your throat or nose, and using lozenges, syrups or sprays.
• If possible, have the test before starting antibiotics; if you are already taking them, inform the staff (the result may be falsely negative).
• Collection point staff take the swab from both tonsils and the back of the throat; this takes a few seconds and may trigger the gag reflex.
• Samples are accepted Monday to Friday; check the opening hours of your chosen collection point.

How to read the result

A culture result is always interpreted alongside symptoms. In children, the Centor/McIsaac score is helpful; in adults, most sore throats require neither a culture nor antibiotics.

Other tests to consider

For joint pain or suspected complications after tonsillitis: ASO, CRP, full blood count; for suspected glandular fever: EBV antibodies; for recurrent respiratory tract infections: nasal swab. More information: Badania-Medyczne.pl.

Sources: ALAB laboratoria, Extended upper respiratory tract culture (preparation: 2 hours without food, drink or medicines; samples accepted Mon.–Fri.; turnaround 4 days); ALAB laboratoria, Throat swab: what it detects, when to request it (group A streptococcus causes 15–30% of cases of pharyngitis in children, approx. 90% of cases are viral, Candida in 20–50% of healthy people, antibiotic susceptibility testing, Centor score). This information does not replace a medical consultation.