Strep throat is a contagious throat infection so you will want to conduct testing if you suspect that you or your child have strep throat. This can be done by your healthcare provider, or you may wish to administer the test from home yourself. In this article, we share with you everything you need to know about at-home strep throat testing.
Understanding Strep Tests
When you go to a doctor, they will likely use a rapid strep test to confirm your diagnosis. A swab of your throat will be taken and the results will be available within a few minutes. You can do the same from home with a test kit.
Simply brush the provided cotton sterile swab against the back of your throat for a second, mix the reagent substances, and add the swab to the mix. After a few minutes, add the small stick that came with the kit to the mixture. You will be able to identify the results by the number and type of lines that appear on the stick.
Why Should I Undergo Strep Testing?
The symptoms of strep throat can be similar to those of other conditions. However, only bacterial infections will respond to antibiotics, and you don’t want to end up taking antibiotics if you don’t require them.
Once your diagnosis has been confirmed, you will be prescribed antibiotics and you will find that the symptoms start getting better within a day or two. It’s important to get treated timely if you suspect you have strep throat. Keep in mind that strep throat can result in other complications if left untreated, especially in young children.
The Reliability of Strep Tests
Although the results of strep tests aren’t 100% accurate, they do give you a pretty high chance of accuracy. It’s possible to get a false negative from strep testing, so if you or your child are still experiencing symptoms despite a negative result, you may wish to go to a doctor. They can carry out a strep throat culture to confirm the diagnosis, which informs sending a swab off to a laboratory for testing.
With a positive result, you can save yourself the trouble of making a trip to the doctor’s, however, you will still need to get a prescription for antibiotics.
Linear DX Can Provide You with the Testing Services You Require
If you require health testing services, look no further than Linear DX today. We are able to offer a wide range of testing services including those for flu, COVID-19, mono, STDs, and various drug tests. You can benefit from the most competitive rates when you engage our services, and we will send an experienced team to streamline the process of testing.
You can also find the at-home test kits you need in our online shop. Linear DX is based in Los Angeles and can offer 2-day shipping to any domestic address as well as same-day deliveries within California. For bulk purchases, please contact us and we can work out a wholesale price.
