Frequently Asked Questions
What
swabs can be used with Clearview Exact Strep A?
Any polyester
(Dacron-tipped) swabs can be used (like the ones supplied in the
test). It is not possible to use calcium alginate or cotton
tipped swabs.
Can saliva or sputum samples
be used with Clearview Exact Strep A?
No. The test has only been
validated for throat swab samples.
If I want to perform
bacterial culture in addition to the Clearview Exact Strep A test
do I need to take two swabs from the patient?
Two swabs may be taken but
it is possible to use the same throat swab to perform both
tests. Inoculate the blood agar plate first and then perform
the Clearview Exact Strep A. It is not possible to
perform bacterial culture after the Clearview Exact Strep
A test because the organisms will have been killed during
the extraction procedure.
The extraction
procedure did not show the correct pink to yellow colour change.
What does this mean?
This would indicate an error
in the test procedure. It is essential that the correct
extraction procedure is followed otherwise the Strep A antigen will
not be extracted from the swab.
Can the kit be
used directly from the fridge?
No. All components
should be allowed to equilibrate at 20oC to
30oC for a minimum of 30 minutes before use.
Clearview Exact Strep A can be stored at room
temperature; the temperature storage range is 2oC to
30oC
The test line has appeared but
it is fainter than the control line. How should this result
be interpreted?
The presence of a test line
no matter what strength is indicative of a positive result
providing that the test was read at the correct read time.
The strength of the test line depends on the amount of
Streptococcus group A antigen in the sample; hence
low-level antigen would result in a weak test line being
generated.
A Patient
was recently treated with antibiotics but still shows a positive
result with Clearview Exact Strep A. Bacterial culture was
negative.
Clearview Exact
Strep A is an antigen detection test for
Streptococcus group A so will detect both viable and
non-viable organisms. The positive result is due to
non-viable Streptococcus group A organisms which have not
yet cleared from the body. The same is true for any other rapid
Strep A test.