Posiew wymazu z gardła

Throat swab culture

The throat swab culture is carried out to identify the cause of severe or recurrent throat infections, especially when antibiotic therapy is unsuccessful.

The purpose of the test is to detect pathogenic microorganisms and determine their antibiotic susceptibility (a so-called antibiogram is carried out).

Thanks to the antibiogram, it is possible to select the appropriate antibiotic to effectively combat the bacterium, which significantly shortens the patients' recovery time.

Microorganisms that can be detected by the throat swab culture include:

• Staphylococcus aureus – colonisation by this bacterium under unfavourable conditions may cause local or generalised infections,

• Streptococcus pneumoniae – a pneumococcus that can cause, for example, pneumonia, acute sinusitis and otitis media,

• Moraxella catarrhalis – the bacterium which is mainly responsible for recurrent inflammation of the respiratory tract, less frequently of the middle ear,

• Haemophilus influenzae – the bacterium causing mainly respiratory infections and meningitis,

• Streptococcus pyogenes – the bacterium that causes tonsillitis.

The throat swab culture is mainly carried out for diagnosing: inflammatory conditions of the throat and tonsils (especially recurrent ones), chronic upper and lower respiratory tract infections, throat infections in the course of haematological illnesses (blood diseases), involving lymph nodes (cervical, submandibular), infectious illnesses (diphtheria, scarlet fever), and during immuno­suppressive therapy, suspected bacterial carriage.

Preparation for the test

• No food should be consumed before the throat swab is collected. It is also recommended not to brush your teeth, use mouthwash and/or lozenges.

• The throat swab should be collected before any antibiotic is administered.

• If a patient fails to prepare for the test properly, the obtained result will not be fully reliable.

The throat swab is collected by a doctor, nurse or at the collection centre, during the centre's opening hours, without any prior appointment. The test, including the collection procedures, takes just a few minutes.

There are no contraindications to carrying out the test.