MEDICAL TESTS FOR CHILDREN: THROAT AND OTHER CULTURES
Throat cultures
A throat culture is done to find out if a throat infection is being caused by bacteria and, if so, to identify the specific bacteria. This can provide the doctor with important information. If the infection is due to a virus rather than to a bacterium, the doctor will know not to prescribe antibiotics because viruses don’t respond to antibiotics; if a bacterium is the cause, knowing which one it is will enable the doctor to prescribe the correct antibiotic to treat that particular type of bacteria.
To collect material for the culture the doctor uses a swab tipped with cotton to scrape cells and discharge from the throat. This material is put into a growth medium, a solution that encourages bacteria to grow. The specimen is watched carefully, and the bacteria are identified. A throat culture is often sent to a laboratory for testing, so it may take 48 hours to get the results.
Other cultures
Although throat cultures are the most common cultures, bacteria from other sites can be identified by the same method. Cultures can be made from blood, discharge from an infected eye or ear, discharge coughed up from the lungs, bowel movements, urine, or discharge from infected cuts or wounds. As with a throat culture, material from the site is sent to a laboratory, and then placed in a growth medium to see what types of bacteria grow and how many there are of each type.
*270/84/5*
