Frequently Asked Questions
What
swabs can be used with Clearview Strep A?
Can
saliva or sputum samples be used with Clearview Strep A?
If I want
to perform bacterial culture in addition to the Clearview Strep A
test do I need to take two swabs from the patient?
Can
the kit be used directly from the fridge?
The
test has appeared but it is fainter than the control line. How
should this result be interpreted?
A Patient
was recently treated with antibiotics but still shows a positive
result with Clearview Strep A. Bacterial culture was
negative.
What swabs can
be used with Clearview 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 swabs.
Can
saliva or sputum samples be used with Clearview 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 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 Strep A. It is not possible to
perform bacterial culture after the Clearview Strep A test because
the organisms will have been killed during the extraction
procedure.
Can the kit be
used directly from the fridge?
No. All
components should be allowed to equilibrate at 18oC to
30oC for a minimum of 30 minutes before use. Clearview
Strep A can be stored at room temperature; the temperature storage
range is 2oC to 30oC.
The
test 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 Strep A. Bacterial culture was
negative.
Clearview 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.