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Throat Culture

 THROAT CULTURE

Search and identify any infections through a throat culture.

A throat culture is a test that searches and identifies germs (like bacteria or a fungus) that can cause an infection. For this test we will take a sample of cells from the back of your throat and add it to a liquid that promotes the growth of germs. 

 

This test can detect different infections such as:

 

  • Diphtheria

  • Strep throat

  • Scarlet and Rheumatic Fever

  • Thrush

  • Pertussis

  • Gonorrhea (Gonococcal Pharyngitis)

What you need to know about throat culture:

• Our health professional will ask you to tilt your head back slightly, open your mouth, and say “Ahhhh”, then quickly and gently take a sample with a cotton swab around the tonsil area in the back of your mouth.

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• Once the sample is taken, our lab technicians will place it in a sanitized container with other chemicals to make bacteria and fungi grow. The type of germs that grow, if any, will show what kind of infection you have. 

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• Results take about 2 to 5 days because it takes a while for germs to grow in a lab.

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