Throat Culture Health Article

Precautions

Gargling to clear the throat or treatment with antibiotics will affect culture results and may make identification of the bacteria impossible. The child should not gargle immediately before the culture.

The child's throat should be swabbed and the culture performed before any antibiotics are taken. The laboratory should be informed if the patient has recently taken antibiotics for the current infection or any other infection. After the culture, however, the physician may initiate early treatment by prescribing a broad spectrum antibiotic to be started before results of the culture are available. After the organism has been identified and sensitivity testing has indicated the most effective antibiotic, a different, more specific antibiotic can be prescribed.

The child's immunization history should be checked to evaluate the possibility that diseases other than strep are causing the sore throat. The care provider should wash his or her hands carefully after swabbing the throat and handling the specimen to prevent the spread of any infectious organisms. Hand washing should be done at home also to reduce contact with infective material. Spreading is usually from contact with droplets of material from the nose and throat of affected individuals.

Preparation

There is no special preparation involved before performing a throat culture. The individual does not need to avoid food or fluids before the test.

Aftercare

There are no special care recommendations after throat swab and culture have been performed. There are no unusual effects expected from having the throat swabbed, though the child may have a mild sensation of something present in the throat for several hours after it has been swabbed.

Risks

Healthcare professionals, parents, or other contacts are at risk of exposure to the child's illness. Strep throat is highly contagious and easily spread through contact with droplets from the nose or throat.

Normal results

Normal results would include finding organisms that grow in healthy throat tissues (normal flora). These organisms include non-hemolytic and alpha-hemolytic streptococci, some Neisseria species, staphylococci, diphtheria and hemophilus organisms, pneumococci, yeasts, and Gram-negative rods.

Abnormal results

In addition to S. pyogenes, other disease agents may be identified in the throat culture. Besides other varieties of strep organisms, these organisms may include Candida albicans, which can cause thrush; Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which can cause diphtheria; and Bordetella pertussis, which can cause whooping cough. Inaddition, the appearance of a specific normal organism in very high numbers may also be regarded as an abnormal result.

Parental concerns

Parents may be concerned that effective treatment will be delayed because of waiting for the throat culture results, which can take up to 48 hours. Physicians may prescribe a broad spectrum antibiotic as initial treatment rather than waiting for culture results. When the culture results are available and sensitivity tests indicate a more effective antibiotic, the physician will likely prescribe a new antibiotic specific for the strep or other organism identified.

See also Strep throat.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Academy of Pediatrics. 141 Northwest Point Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007–1098. Web site: <www.aap.org>.

Centers for Disease Control. 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20201. Web site: <www.cdc.gov>.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1600 Clifton Rd., NE, Atlanta, GA 30333. Web site: <www.cdc.gov>.