Rapid testing for streptococcal pharyngitis.

Within the past 2 years, new technology has become available to office laboratories that permits a 10-minute laboratory diagnosis of a group A streptococcal infection in patients who present with sore throats. The availability of the test result while the patient is in the office can be a great improvement compared with waiting 1 to 2 days for a throat culture report. In addition, these rapid tests may be easier for office staff to read than traditional agar plates. A physician who incorporates rapid testing for streptococcal infection in the office laboratory should perform appropriate quality controls to be confident that the test method is working. The rapid streptococcal tests are the first of a new generation of microbiology immunoassays available to office laboratories.