Throat swab for infection. Throat and nose swab

A throat swab for microflora is prescribed to many patients who suffer from a prolonged runny nose or have other symptoms of viral infections.

Thanks to this simple study, it is possible to study the flora of the mucous membrane and identify the causative agent of the pathology. This makes it possible to choose the right therapy.

This diagnostic method is used in the following situations:

Thus, a swab from the throat and nose is carried out in two main situations: to determine the carriage of harmful microorganisms and to detect the causative agent of the disease.

Preparation

In order for a smear on flora and sensitivity to antibiotics to give a reliable result, it is important to follow a number of recommendations. This study requires some preparation. So, before taking the analysis you should:

Oral antiseptics are contraindicated because they help kill most of the microbes present on the mucous membranes. As a result, the study will not help determine the true number of microorganisms and identify the bacteria that caused the disease.

Drinking drinks and food, as well as using toothpaste will wash away some of the microorganisms. This will also distort the results obtained. On the day of the study, it is advisable to completely abstain from food and drinks. It is better to exclude even a morning cup of coffee or a glass of water.

Features of the study

The procedure is completely painless. It does not lead to negative health consequences. To conduct the study, perform the following actions:

An adult needs to open his mouth wide. If the procedure is being performed on a young child, the health care professional will need parental assistance.
The end of the tongue is pressed with a spatula, and with the other hand, using a loop with a cotton-gauze tip, carefully remove mucous secretions from the arches, walls of the pharynx, and tonsils. The material should be taken so that the device does not touch the teeth, cheeks or tongue.
Then the instrument must be immediately placed in a sterile container. The resulting analysis must be sent for research within 2 hours. If this is not possible, the material is immediately placed in a container containing a preservative.

Microscopic examination

Tank seeding from the throat involves applying the resulting material to a glass slide. It is fixed with a burner and examined using immersion oil. Gram staining is also often performed. As a result of the procedure, pathogenic bacilli, coccal flora, and coccobacilli can be identified. Experts are examining their morphological characteristics.

An important diagnostic criterion is microscopic signs of bacterial microorganisms. If the material contains gram-positive cocci, which are located in clusters similar to grape bunches, one can suspect that the causative agent of the disease is staphylococci.

If the cocci stain positive for Gram and form pairs or chains, streptococci are most likely the cause of the pathology. Neisseria are classified as gram-negative coccal flora. If the material contains gram-negative rods with a light capsule and round ends, we are talking about Klebsiella. Escherichia belongs to small gram-negative rods. This group also includes Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Sowing material

To identify infectious agents, the material is placed in a special environment, taking into account pH and humidity. Environments can be different - universal, selective. Differential diagnostic environments are also distinguished. In any case, their key task is to ensure life and create conditions for the proliferation of bacteria.

The material is sown in a sterile box. A laminar flow cabinet can also be used for this purpose. The laboratory technician must wear sterile clothing. The use of shoe covers, masks, and gloves is of no small importance. Due to this, it is possible to maintain the required sterility indicators in the working area.

Care should be taken when working in the box. It is very important to monitor your own safety, since any biomaterials can pose a threat to the health of a medical worker.

Materials from the nasopharynx are placed in a special environment in a thermostat. After a few days, entire colonies grow. They may vary in size, shape and shade.

There are special media that are selective for certain microorganisms:

Blood agar is considered the main medium for microbes from the nose and throat. It is highly sensitive and includes nutritional components for saprophytes and harmful microorganisms. Pneumococci and staphylococci produce hemolysins and lead to hemolysis of red blood cells. The main factor of pathogenicity is the hemolytic activity of bacteria. This is what is characteristic of most pathogenic microorganisms. The growth characteristics, shade and area of hemolysis differ depending on the type of microbe.
Universal options include thioglycollate medium and Sabouraud. They are suitable for most harmful bacteria.
For staphylococci, yolk-salt agar is used.
A non-selective medium is heated blood agar. It develops gonococci, bacteria that cause purulent meningitis, and Haemophilus influenzae.
A differential option for growing enterobacteria is Endo medium.
Enterococci develop well in enterococcus.

Using a swab, the material is placed into the medium, after which it is distributed over a Petri dish using a bacteriological loop. Then the crops are sent to the thermostat, selecting the desired temperature. The next day they are examined, the number of colonies is determined and their character is assessed.

Some colonies are placed in certain media to identify and accumulate a pure culture. Thanks to its study under a microscope, it is possible to assess the size and shape of bacteria and identify the presence of spores, strands or capsules. Experts also determine the relationship of bacteria to staining.

It is important to determine the genus and type of isolated bacteria. In addition, the specialist carries out phage typing and serotyping.

Data interpretation

In normal conditions, there are many different microorganisms present in the throat of every person. Some are normal, while others are hazardous to health. Sometimes a certain amount of harmful bacteria does not provoke any consequences. Such flora is usually called opportunistic. Valid options include:

candida fungi;
epidermal staphylococci;
herpetic infection;
pneumococci.

Decoding the analysis allows you to identify the following microorganisms:

Staphylococcus aureus. It can provoke various inflammations. Moreover, such processes affect not only the pharynx, but also lead to systemic pathologies. When the immune system is weakened, bacteria become more active and provoke pathologies such as otitis media, diseases of the urinary system, sinusitis, and purulent skin lesions. Staphylococcus aureus often causes diseases of bone tissue and digestive organs.
Hemolytic streptococcus. This bacterium often provokes tonsillitis. Also, its active reproduction causes complex forms of pharyngitis with a large amount of purulent secretion and scarlet fever.
Leffler's wand. This microorganism is the causative agent of diphtheria. With the help of the study, it is possible to determine the degree of toxic effect of the bacterium on the body.

An increase in the number of fungi also indicates certain disturbances in the functioning of the body, since it is a sign of a weakened immune system. Sometimes a throat swab can detect eosinophils. These cells appear during allergies, so one can suspect the non-infectious nature of the pathology.

A throat smear is considered an informative diagnostic test. Thanks to its implementation, it is possible to detect pathogenic microorganisms and determine their susceptibility to antibiotics. This allows the doctor to select adequate therapy.

Nasal culture is the removal of biological material from the corresponding cavity. It is one of the methods for diagnosing infection. Bacteriological culture is carried out if there is a suspicion of the bacterial nature of various diseases. It has the main goal: to select adequate etiological therapy. Using laboratory analysis, the type of microorganisms causing any inflammatory process is determined.

Bacteriological culture is used to make an accurate diagnosis in the following areas:

ENT diseases;
dermatology;
urology;
venereology;
gynecology and other areas of medicine.

Bacteriological culture is equally effective against both non-acute and indolent, latent infections. Bacteriological culture is very often used to detect infections in the nasal cavity to diagnose rhinitis and sinusitis. It is also widely used for gynecological purposes.

However, many of these medical fields needlessly abuse this procedure. Often, the use of bacterial analysis depends on material interests and the reluctance or ignorance of doctors about methods for diagnosing syndromes.

Basically, this analysis is indicated for use in the presence of female pelvic inflammatory disease and recurrent vulvovaginitis, male prostatitis and chronic torpid urethritis, but it is also widely used for diseases of the nose and throat. Doctors insist on confirming the presence of various nasal infections in the following categories of citizens: girls, elderly women, conscripts and pregnant women.

Main stages of bacteriological analysis

Bacteriological culture is considered a standard procedure in identifying infections. It consists of the following steps:

Biological material is taken from the nose and sown in a nutrient medium (agar-agar solution, sugar broth).
Test tubes with the material are placed in an environment beneficial for bacteria, where all conditions are created for their reproduction.
Bacteria are being studied.
Obtaining an antibiogram.
Assignment of therapy.

This analysis allows you to determine the causative agent of the disease, assess the quantity, activity and response to antibiotic drugs. This makes it easier for the doctor to decide on effective treatment.
Despite the high level of sensitivity and specificity of bacterial culture, this method also has disadvantages:

long-term research;
high requirements for the qualifications of laboratory workers;
strict criteria for the removal of biological raw materials;
rules for preparing for bacteriological culture from the nasal cavity.

General rules before taking the test:

Within one to three days, it is necessary to remove alcoholic beverages and foods that accelerate fermentation processes in the intestines (brown bread, cabbage, cucumbers, radishes) from the diet.
Do not rinse your nose for one day.
Do not use antibacterial medications for 3-4 days.
For one day, you should refrain from using drops and ointments in the nasal cavity.

Culture can be done with material taken from the nose, blood, urine, etc. Before taking it, you should definitely take a break after using antibiotics.

Bacterial culture during pregnancy

It is an important and integral part of the examination of pregnant women. During this period, their body becomes more vulnerable. Delayed examination can negatively affect the health of the expectant mother and her baby. Therefore, the test is prescribed immediately after contacting the consultation to determine the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. This microorganism acts as a strong causative agent of various postpartum complications. Obtaining a positive result allows the patient to be examined in a timely manner and to prevent infection of her child.

For women themselves, this analysis does not pose any danger. The material is collected very carefully and sterilely, either by the medical consultation staff or in a bacterial laboratory. If necessary, treatment is prescribed. Control sampling of material is carried out no earlier than two weeks after the end of taking antibiotics.

Where to go and where to get the results of bacteriological culture?

As a rule, all necessary tests are prescribed by a doctor. In this case, the examination will be competent and correct. The doctor will give a referral to a special laboratory.

If you wish, you can independently contact a special laboratory and take an analysis there. The laboratory must have a special license, sterile medical glassware, and qualified medical personnel.

Usually, the results of the culture analysis are received no earlier than after 5-8 days (during this period of time microorganisms have time to be identified) in the form of a special form. It indicates the bacterial culture rate. If desired, such a document can be received via mail, telephone or fax. After deciphering the results by laboratory microbiologists, they also draw up a conclusion, which is handed over to the doctor or personally to the patient (if applying independently). If the result is poor, then therapy is prescribed.

What if the result is bad?

In the human body there is a maximum permissible norm for the presence of certain bacteria in the body. That is, the amount of bacteria that does not contribute to the appearance of subjective sensations and diseases. For example, ureaplasma and mycoplasma, which make up the normal human microflora, require treatment only when a large number of microorganisms and symptoms of an inflammatory process are present.

In the results forms you can see the unit of measurement CFU (colony-forming units), which means one microbial cell that subsequently multiplies to a whole colony. For any culture test method, standard documents are used that prescribe clinically significant amounts of bacteria that can cause disease. If the value of colony-forming units is exceeded, the laboratory immediately performs a culture and tests the sensitivity of the bacteria to antibiotics. This procedure is important in determining the optimal course of treatment.

A throat swab gives an idea of the composition of the microflora of the oropharynx. The doctor, having assessed the quantitative composition of microbes, can confirm the infectious origin of the disease. Culture indicates not only the type of microorganisms, but also allows you to determine the antibiogram. Based on the results of the tank study, he prescribes antibacterial drugs that will be most effective in this case.

TEST: Find out what's wrong with your throat

Did you have an elevated body temperature on the first day of illness (the first day symptoms appeared)?

In connection with a sore throat you:

How often have you experienced these symptoms (sore throat) recently (6-12 months)?

Feel the area of the neck just below the lower jaw. Your feelings:

If your temperature suddenly rises, you took an antipyretic drug (Ibuprofen, Paracetamol). After this:

What sensations do you experience when you open your mouth?

How would you rate the effect of throat lozenges and other topical painkillers (candies, sprays, etc.)?

Ask someone close to you to look down your throat. To do this, rinse your mouth with clean water for 1-2 minutes, open your mouth wide. Your assistant should shine a flashlight on himself and look into the oral cavity by pressing the root of the tongue with a spoon.

On the first day of illness, you clearly feel an unpleasant putrid bite in your mouth and your loved ones can confirm the presence of an unpleasant odor from the oral cavity.

Can you say that in addition to a sore throat, you are bothered by a cough (more than 5 attacks per day)?

Why is smear diagnostics performed?

confirmation of the infectious origin of tonsillitis, sinusitis, meningitis, whooping cough and other diseases;
search for Staphylococcus aureus, which causes purulent lesions of the skin (furunculosis, pyoderma);
to exclude diphtheria in the absence of Loeffler's bacillus in smears;
for the diagnosis of stenosing laryngitis, as well as mononucleosis.

For preventive purposes, taking a throat smear is indicated:

people who have had contact with a sick person to determine bacterial carriage;
when finding employment in the food industry, in medical and children's institutions;
children before visiting educational institutions, sports activities, swimming pools to prevent epidemics;
before hospitalization, in the preoperative period.

Pregnant women are required to undergo research to determine the risk of developing an infectious disease, as well as the occurrence of complications in the fetus.

Preparatory stage

In order for the analysis to provide the most accurate results, you must follow some recommendations. Preparation includes:

5 days before the examination, it is prohibited to take antibacterial drugs, which will allow the proliferation of pathogenic microbes to resume;
3 days before the diagnosis, the use of rinsing solutions, as well as sprays with an antiseptic effect, will be discontinued. They reduce the number of pathogenic microbes, which makes diagnosis difficult;
a throat swab is performed on an empty stomach;
Before the study, chewing gum and drinks are prohibited, and brushing your teeth is undesirable.

Material collection process

You can make the process of taking a smear from the throat easier by following a certain algorithm of actions. The patient needs to tilt his head back slightly and open his mouth as much as possible to show the specialist the posterior pharyngeal wall.

The tongue is fixed with a spatula to the bottom of the mouth. A throat swab is taken with a sterile swab located at the end of an elongated loop. Take a smear carefully, without touching the swab to other surfaces of the oral cavity.

The collected material with a swab is placed in a test tube, after which it is transported to the laboratory within the first 90 minutes. The algorithm must be followed to obtain reliable research results.

When passing a sterile swab along the surface of the posterior pharyngeal wall, the patient may experience gagging, especially with a pronounced gag reflex.

Microscopy and culture

Microscopic examination is carried out before bacterial culture to determine the cellular composition in order to predict which colonies can grow on the nutrient medium.

Microscopy is performed by Gram staining, after which the cells are visualized under a microscope. Sowing is done on a specific medium, since each type of microorganism requires pH and humidity levels.

Sowing on flora ensures the growth of colonies, based on the shape and shade of which the type of microorganisms is established. The main task of culture media is to ensure respiration and nutrition of microbes for rapid growth and reproduction.

The material is sown in sterile laboratory conditions in compliance with aseptic rules. Medical staff should not forget about protective equipment, since biological material can be extremely dangerous in terms of infection.

The culture results are assessed daily, but final conclusions are made a week later by analyzing the color, shape and other characteristics of the colonies.

Particular attention is paid to the antibiogram, which is performed by covering an area of grown colonies with circles soaked in an antibacterial agent. If pathogenic microbes are sensitive to a particular antibiotic, colony growth is inhibited. In cases where colonies grow under antibacterial action, the drug is considered ineffective. Based on these results, the doctor prescribes antibiotic therapy to help cope with the disease.

Diagnostic results

What does a smear show? The flora of the mucous membrane consists of various microorganisms. A throat smear for microflora shows the number of pathogenic as well as opportunistic microbes. In a small number of pathogenic bacteria, they do not cause the development of the disease, just like opportunistic bacteria. However, when the body’s immune defense decreases against the background of severe general hypothermia, exacerbation of chronic pathology, a cold, or in the postoperative period, opportunistic bacilli begin to multiply intensively, provoking the development of the disease.

Normally, infections such as streptococcus, E. coli or Neisseria can be part of the flora. This is considered a variant of the norm if their number does not exceed the permissible norm, and there are no clinical signs of an infectious disease.

It is worth noting that you should not undertake their destruction, since after the end of taking antibacterial agents they will again populate part of the microflora of the mucous membranes.

When a doctor orders a test, he expects results to confirm the presence or absence of certain pathogens that may have caused the patient's symptoms.

The interpretation of a throat smear includes the name of microorganisms, opposite which their number is indicated, which is expressed in special units. They became known as CFU/ml, which indicates the number of bacterial pathogens growing in one liter of nutrient medium. Abbreviated as CFU called a colony-forming unit.

If the analysis showed a microbial content of ten to the fourth power, this refers to the normal variant. When the result exceeds this level, for example, is ten to the fifth power, then intensive microbial growth is confirmed. An imbalance between beneficial and pathogenic bacteria is dysbacteriosis, which leads to the development of disease.

If the analysis showed “confluent growth” of microorganisms, it is worth suspecting a large number of bacilli that form colonies when merging. The culture results also include an antibiogram. It lists antibacterial agents in the form of a plate. Next to each antibiotic there is a “+” sign:

one “+” indicates a low level of sensitivity of the pathogenic microbe to this type of antibacterial agent;
two “+” indicates an average level;
3 “+” - high sensitivity.

If a pathogenic microorganism is not sensitive to a particular antibiotic, then a “tick” is placed opposite it. This means that the choice of this antibacterial drug is not advisable, since a therapeutic effect from its use will not be observed.

The analysis, or rather its results, are recorded on a special form. The type of microorganisms is indicated in Latin letters:

the result is considered negative when the throat swab does not have fungal and bacterial flora. In this case, the doctor should suspect a viral infectious pathology.
a positive response indicates the presence of growth of pathogenic/opportunistic microbes that can cause an infectious-inflammatory process in the oropharynx and nasopharynx. When there is an increase in fungal flora, candidiasis develops in the oral cavity.

We emphasize that normally the microflora can consist of fungi, Klebsiella pneumoniae, diphthe-, bacteroides, actinomycetes, pseudomonads, non-pathogenic Neisseria, Escherichia coli, streptococci, meningococci, as well as epidermal staphylococcus.

As for pathogenic microorganisms, it is worth highlighting listeria, meningitis, pneumococcus, Loeffler's bacilli, hemolytic streptococcus, branhamella, Haemophilus influenzae, Bordetella, Staphylococcus aureus, as well as fungi.

A throat swab gives an idea of the presence of pathogenic microbes that could cause the development of the disease. Based on the results of the study, the doctor determines which treatment will be most effective in this case.

- a quick and painless procedure that provides significant assistance in the diagnosis of infectious diseases.

A throat smear for microflora is carried out quite often, because it gives the doctor the necessary information about the patient’s health status. This analysis is mistakenly confused with smears in gynecology. Although the purpose of the analysis is to determine bacterial microorganisms on the mucous membrane, it is taken from the throat. The analysis is usually done on the eve of the prescription of antifungal, antibacterial and antiseptic agents. This is necessary to assess the susceptibility of a pathogen strain to a particular drug.

If you are taking the test for the first time, you don’t have to worry; nothing that can cause discomfort or pain will happen to you during the diagnostic process. Throat culture does not take much time and is completely painless. The doctor takes a swab of flora from the throat using a wooden stick on which a cotton swab is wound. The patient opens his mouth, and the medical professional visually examines the oral cavity for visible areas of inflammation - redness and rashes. Next, holding his tongue with a flat stick, he takes a swab from the back wall of the throat. For some people, holding the tongue with a stick can cause a gag reflex, but it quickly comes when the root of the tongue stops irritating the tool.

There is an alternative way to take the test - the patient is asked to gargle with a saline solution, and then spit it into a sterile container. In this case, the medical staff receives a larger volume of biomaterial, which allows them to conduct tests and more accurately determine the causative agent of the disease.

This test does not require any special preparation; it is enough for the patient not to smoke or suck on lollipops for two hours before taking the smear. Having removed the biomaterial, the rod is placed in a nutrient medium, where, after the formation of a colony, the laboratory assistant can detect various types of cocci, diphtheria bacilli, yeast-like fungi and other representatives of microfauna.

The main medium for throat microbes is blood agar. This medium contains nutrients for the active reproduction of saprophytic and pathogenic bacteria, for example, pneumococci and Staphylococcus aureus.

Sabouraud's medium is suitable for a wide range of microbes and is considered universal. Yolk-salt agar is an selective medium for mass cultivation of staphylococci. Chocolate agar is excellent for the propagation of gonococci, Haemophilus influenzae and pathogens of purulent bacterial meningitis. Endo medium is suitable for the cultivation of enterobacteriaceae. Enterococcus agar allows the development of a colony of enterococci.

It will take longer to wait for the results of a throat culture test than usual tests, approximately 5-7 days. Throat culture for microflora requires more time, since it is necessary to conduct a series of tests aimed at determining the sensitivity of the inherent bacteria to antibiotics and selecting the best drug.

A throat smear for microflora, like any analysis, has a number of indications for performance, among them are diseases such as:

diphtheria;
suspicion of Staphylococcus aureus;
meningococcal infection;
whooping cough;
mononucleosis;
scarlet fever;
sore throat and other bacterial diseases.

Indications for a throat smear may include pain in this area, difficulty swallowing, temperature fluctuations and a number of other characteristic symptoms. Taking into account the simplicity and painlessness of the procedure for performing a smear on the culture tank, you can undergo it as a preventive measure to exclude pathological processes in the body.

Bacteriological research of this type is very important to carry out even as a preventive measure. This is especially true for the medical staff of the maternity ward. Staphylococcus aureus, for example, is spread by airborne droplets, and large amounts of it can pose a significant threat to the lives of newborns.

Analysis results

The decoding of a throat smear is carried out by a qualified specialist. A normal result indicates that the test is negative, that is, no pathogenic organisms were found in the oral cavity that could cause the disease. The patient is healthy if no pathogenic flora is detected in the oral smear, which exceeds 10*3 – 10*4. An indicator of 10*5 or more indicates the intensive development of opportunistic flora. The results form indicates the bacteria that was detected. The form also indicates the quantitative composition of the pathogen.

Analysis of flora from the throat can determine the development of pathogenic microorganisms such as:

Bacteroides can cause chronic sinusitis, otitis media, oral infections, abscesses, and necrotizing pneumonia.
Branhamella causes sinusitis and respiratory infections.
Veillonella forms dental plaque and is the causative agent of periodontal disease.
Candida albicans in small quantities does not cause disease, although an increase in its number provokes candidiasis.
Streptococcus mutans destroys tooth enamel, leading to tooth deformation and loss.
Haemophilus influenza is one of the causative agents of influenza and epiglottitis.
Streptococcus pyogenes causes colds and respiratory illnesses.
Streptococcus pneumonia causes pneumonia, sinusitis, endocarditis, septic arthritis, primary peritonitis, and phlegmon.
Neisseriameningitides causes meningitis and nezopharyngitis.
Corynebacteriadiphtheria is the causative agent of diphtheria.
Klebsiellapneumonia can cause pneumonia and urogenital infections.
Pseudomonas is found in purulent inflammatory processes, enteritis and cystitis.
Escherichia coli causes peritonitis, colpitis, prostatitis and dysbacteriosis.
Cytomegalovirus causes sexually transmitted diseases, including oral contact.
Herpes simplex virus is the causative agent of herpes infections.
The Epstein-Bar virus causes a lot of diseases of different localization, for example, hepatitis, herpes, leukoplakia, multiple sclerosis, immune deficiency, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, lymphogranulomatosis and Steven-Jobs syndrome.

As can be seen from the above diseases, a throat smear is a very informative procedure that allows you to avoid further development of the pathological process and eliminate the disease at an early stage of development. If the tests reveal a large number of certain bacteria, the doctor will probably ask the patient’s relatives or people in contact with the patient to undergo a culture test. This is necessary if the doctor suspects that the patient is constantly becoming infected from someone around him.

Treatment of pathogenic flora

An otolaryngologist can prescribe the test. He will also select drugs to treat a particular disease. How treatment will occur directly depends on which microbe has been identified:

Bacteroides and Veillonella are sensitive to imidazole derivatives: Metronidazole, Tinidazole and Ornidazole.
Epstein-Barleche virus treated with Ganciclovir and Valaciclovir.
Escherichia coli is treated with Gentamicin, Nifuratel and Rifaximin.
Herpes simplex virus and Cytamegalovirus can be treated with Acyclovir, Valacyclovir, Famciclovir and Penciclovir.
Pseudomonas is sensitive to Piperacillin, Impenem, Tobramycin and Ciprofloxacin.
Klebsiellapneumonia is sensitive to aminoglycosides and third generation cephalosporins.
Neisseriameningitides is a deadly bacterium that can be eliminated with a number of drugs, including Penicillin, Ampicillin, Chloramphenicol and Ceftriaxone.
Haemophilus influenza therapy consists of the use of Cefotaxime or Ceftriaxone.
Corynebacteriadiphtheria is eliminated by drugs called Cefotaxime, Anaerocef, Lincomycin.
Streptococcus pyogenes is sensitive to penicillins and cephalosporins.
Streptococcuspneumonia is eliminated by Azithromycin, Clarithromycin, Levofloxacin and Josamycin.
Streptococcus mutans - Ampicillin, Augmentin, Benzylpenicillin, Vancomycin;
Branhamella is sensitive to tetracyclines as well as cephalosporins.
Candida albicans are eliminated with Fluconazole and Itraconazole.

All of the above medications cannot be prescribed to yourself; most of them contain toxic substances, which can negatively affect your well-being and further worsen the situation. After the patient has completed the course of therapy, he is re-tested for throat culture so that the doctor understands whether the treatment with the selected drugs has helped, or whether the therapy regimen should be adjusted.

They take it from the pharynx - that is, from the throat - in order to examine the mucous membrane and what bacteria and microorganisms inhabit it and in what quantity, and who is the possible causative agent of a particular disease.

This analysis helps the doctor accurately diagnose and prescribe appropriate treatment and medications.

This analysis may be prescribed in the following cases:

As one of the preventive procedures when hiring, if a person is applying for a job related to food products, children, sick patients and the like. The results of the analysis will show whether the person is healthy and whether he can work in this field.
When examining pregnant women, in order to prevent the development and action of bacteria that can provoke, complicating the course and threatening the life of the baby.
When examining children entering preschool institutions to prevent the occurrence of infectious outbreaks in children's groups.
Before hospitalization of the patient in the hospital and in preparation for surgery, to ensure the absence of microorganisms that can cause complications during the postoperative period.
Screening people who have had close contact with patients with highly contagious microbial diseases to prevent further spread of the disease.
To accurately identify the pathogen that provoked a particular ENT organ, as well as to determine the sensitivity of this pathogen to the medications used.
For detection and treatment of sore throat, diphtheria, sinusitis, sinusitis, external otitis, etc.

If we summarize all of the above, we can say that a smear on the flora is prescribed in two cases: to find out whether a person is a carrier of pathogenic microbes and to identify the causative agent of any disease.

Preparation

In order to obtain the most reliable results, you need to follow certain rules, because this analysis requires some, although simple, but extremely important.

So, before taking a smear you need to:

refuse any rinses and mouth rinses containing antiseptics 2-3 days before the procedure
Avoid throat sprays and ointments containing antibiotics and antimicrobial substances 2-3 days before the procedure
do not eat or drink any drinks 2-3 hours before the test (best at all)
It is advisable not to brush your teeth on the day of the test or at least 2-3 hours before it
don't chew gum

It is necessary to refuse mouthwash solutions and throat sprays because they kill most of the microbes found in the mucous membrane of the pharynx and reduce their numbers to a minimum. As a result, of course, the true number of microbes in the mucous membrane will not be shown and the bacteria that can cause or have already caused will not be detected in the smear.

The food or drinks a person takes, as well as toothpaste, can simply wash away some of the bacteria, and this will also affect the result, which will not show what microorganisms are actually on the mucous membrane.

It is advisable not to eat or drink at all on the day of the test, and if possible, it is better to refuse even a glass of water or a mug of coffee in the morning after waking up.

Thus, bacteria need to be given free rein and allowed to multiply freely in the mucous membrane for 2-3 days without exposing them to various antibacterial agents, and only then will the real picture be seen.

During the procedure, the patient throws his head back and opens his mouth wide. Pressing the patient's tongue with a medical metal or wooden spatula, the doctor runs a sterile cotton swab placed on a metal loop along the mucous membrane of the pharynx.

The procedure does not cause any pain and virtually no discomfort in the patient, with the exception of a gag reflex, which may appear from touching the back wall of the throat.

The stick with the material collected on it is placed in a sterile container, where all conditions are created for the comfortable life of microbes so that they do not die before arriving at the laboratory.

In the laboratory, the collected material is placed in various nutrient media depending on the purpose for which it was carried out. Depending on the reaction and behavior of microbes, the results of the analysis are formed.

Decoding the results

Throat flora smear - normal and deviations from the norm

To decipher the results correctly, you need to know exactly what it was prescribed for. It is depending on a particular purpose that the presence and quantity of a particular microbe is examined and the need is established.

The results indicate the names of those microorganisms that make up the vast majority in the throat mucosa. The table or list shows the names of bacteria in Latin and their number in special units of measurement.

Normally, the following organisms are present in the mucous membrane of the pharynx:

epidermal
viridans streptococcus
some Candida fungi
non-pathogenic Neisseria and pneumococci

Among pathogenic bacteria, a smear on the flora from the throat can reveal the following:

?-hemolytic streptococcus group A
whooping cough pathogen
causative agent of diphtheria
fungi Candida albicans, etc.

Streptococci cause most human diseases; they try to identify it when pneumonia, pharyngitis, sore throat, scarlet fever and others are suspected.To exclude the possibility of an allergic cause of the disease, a smear is taken on those involved in allergic reactions.

Useful video - staphylococci.

To diagnose a staphylococcal infection, a staphylococcus smear is done. This is an opportunistic bacterium that causes disease only under certain conditions - for example, hypothermia, vitamin deficiency, weakened immunity.

The doctor who prescribed this analysis will independently decipher all the results obtained and, based on them, decide what actions to take in the future.

A throat flora smear is a simple, quick and completely painless procedure that will help identify the presence of pathogens and possible pathogens. Most often it is prescribed by a doctor and often provides complete information about the pathogens and the necessary treatment.