Where to Swab for Strep?
A Clean, Soft Cotton Swab Will Be Lightly Brushed over the Back of the Throat, Around the Tonsils, and over Any Red or Sore Areas to Collect a Sample...
A clean, soft cotton swab will be lightly brushed over the back of the throat, around the tonsils, and over any red or sore areas to collect a sample. Sometimes, two swabs will be used so the second swab can be sent for a throat culture if the rapid strep test results are negative.
How do they swab for strep throat?
A healthcare practitioner uses a tongue depressor to hold down your tongue and then inserts a swab into your mouth and rubs it against the back of your throat and tonsils. The swab may be used to do a rapid strep test in a doctor's office or clinic, or it may be sent to a laboratory.
How accurate is throat swab for strep?
Sensitivity and Specificity
The sensitivity of the rapid strep test is approximately 95%. This means that if we swabbed 100 patients who we confirmed had Strep Throat (by using a throat culture), the test would result 'positive' in 95 of 100 of those patients.
Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.
