The throat swab for bacteriological culture
It is rarely possible in good conditions (fragility of the streptococcus, technical problems and especially conservation of samples to the laboratory making it unreliable). Often negative, it is no longer done in practice. By cons, it retains the streptotest all its interest in epidemiological studies on streptococcal carriage, and for the study strains (research and typing of the M protein)
The STREPTOTESTS minute or test:
Their use is highly recommended to fight against the systematic "abuse" of antibiotics in the treatment of pharyngitis. Their sensitivity is not perfect (false negatives) but does not constitute an obstacle to their use in a country of very low endemicity of CEOS. It is not even in high-incidence countries: and the recommendations clearly indicate that negative streptotest performed in one patient who made a simple living in endemic countries of RAA is not sufficient to eliminate the presence of streptococcus . In this case it is recommended that the laboratory or a throat culture, by default, to deal systematically with antibiotics.
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