| The efficiency of existing treatments in curing | | | | pharyngitis is infection with viruses or bacteria, |
| strep throat strongly depends on the accuracy | | | | doctors often choose to perform more conclusive |
| and speed of diagnosis. In case the diagnosis is | | | | tests. The recommended supportive tests consist |
| inaccurate or established late, the patients are | | | | of throat culture and the antigen test. |
| exposed to the risks of receiving the wrong | | | | Although the antigen test is quicker to perform, it |
| treatment (resulting in increased resistance of the | | | | is also less precise and therefore doctors may |
| bacterial strains involved in causing strep throat to | | | | perform the throat culture test even when the |
| medications) and of developing serious | | | | results of the antigen test are negative. By |
| complications. The treatment of strep throat | | | | performing both tests together, doctors can find |
| most often involves the use of antibiotics, | | | | conclusive data regarding the nature and the |
| medications that play a crucial role in eradicating | | | | exact type of the infectious organism involved in |
| the causative bacteria and preventing the | | | | causing acute pharyngitis. However, a good |
| occurrence of a variety of complications (acute | | | | alternative to this combination of tests is the |
| rheumatic fever, kidney disease, coronary | | | | newly introduced optical immunoassay test (OIA), |
| disease). | | | | which is very sensitive and quick to perform. |
| Considering the fact that strep throat | | | | Apart from these microbial tests, the diagnosis |
| (inflammation and infection of the pharynx with | | | | guidelines developed by the American College of |
| Group A hemolytic streptococcus bacteria) | | | | Physicians (ACP) can also help doctors distinguish |
| sometimes produces symptoms that are very | | | | between cases of sore throat and cases of strep |
| similar to those of sore throat - the viral form of | | | | throat. These guidelines link the probability of |
| acute pharyngitis (inflammation and infection of | | | | Group A hemolytic streptococcus pharyngitis to |
| the pharynx), doctors may confuse between the | | | | the following clinical findings: tender anterior |
| two, prescribing the inappropriate treatment and | | | | cervical adenopathy, tonsillar exudates, complete |
| rendering patients more susceptible to developing | | | | absence of cough and the presence of fever |
| complications. | | | | (bacterial infections are often associated with high |
| In order to accurately separate between viral | | | | fever, sweating and chills). These guidelines are |
| acute pharyngitis (the common sore throat and | | | | considered to be very effective in diagnosing |
| strep throat, doctors can't always rely solely on | | | | patients with strep throat and can in most cases |
| clinical examinations and patients' reports of | | | | replace microbial tests such as pharyngeal |
| symptoms. In order to find whether the cause of | | | | exudates, antigen tests and optical immunoassay. |