Throat Swab for Culture (Bacteriology, Oxford Road Campus)
General information
Collection container: Collect specimens in
appropriate CE marked leak proof containers and transport specimens
in sealed plastic bags.
Collect using liquid eSwabs and transport in sealed plastic
bags.
Specimen type: Swab
Collection: Throat swab taken from the
tonsillar area and/or posterior pharynx, should be taken avoiding
the tongue and uvula.
Specimen transport: Specimens should be
transported and processed as soon as possible.
Special precautions: Fastidious
anaerobes, such as Fusobacterium necrophorum, will not be recovered
from samples that are delayed.
When Diptheria is suspected, advice from a Consultant
Microbiologist should be sought prior to sample
submission.
Scarlet fever presentations should be noted on the request
form as they are notifiable.
Pharyngeal swabs for N.meningitidis carriage
should be clearly labelled.
Pharyngeal swabs for N.gonorrhoeaecarriage are
not advised; inoculation directly onto culture media at the time of
collection within a GUM clinic is
recommended.
Laboratory information
Turnaround time for provisional result (working
days): 1 day
Turnaround time to final result (working
days): 2-3 days
Clinical information
Factors known to significantly affect the
results: Collect specimens before antimicrobial therapy
where possible
