A smear from the pharynx or nose. Procedure and types of laboratory research
Why do I need a smear? A throat swab makes it possible to determine the state of the bacterial flora of the patient. It also helps to determine the level of sensitivity to antibacterial drugs. A smear is made to diagnose the throat disease in children and adults. The samples obtained are examined under laboratory conditions. This allows you to accurately assess the nature of the disease and choose the best treatment.
How is the smear from the pharynx?
The tampon used in this procedure,must be sterile. With its help, samples of mucus from the surface of the pharynx are removed. For this purpose, the doctor should press the patient's root slightly with a special tool (spatula) to reach the posterior pharyngeal wall. In this case, it is advisable not to touch the surface of the teeth and the mucous membrane of the mouth with a swab. Then the tampon is placed in a sterile flask, which is sealed and sent to the laboratory.
What is required of the patient?
Before you make a smear from the pharynx, you needinstruct the patient about the need for preliminary training. For 2 hours before taking the material, the patient should not take food or gargle. If a swab is taken from the nose, then the nasal cavity must be cleaned beforehand.
The material is taken as follows. A sterile tampon is inserted alternately into each nostril. Thus it is necessary to ensure its close contact with the walls and septum of the nose. The collected material is immediately sown onto prepared nutrient media. Part of the material should be placed on a slide, perform a glassing and send it to a microscopic examination.
RINOCYTOLOGICAL RESEARCH
For this procedure, the tampon usedmoistened with physiological solution, then inserted for 2-3 cm inside the nasal passage. In this case, the tampon should be pressed to the lower part of the nasal mucosa. The samples of the material are taken out on a frost-free glass slide. In the future, the resulting material under laboratory conditions will be subjected to special coloring. This will make it possible to establish the cellular composition of the substance.
Immunofluorescence analysis
For accelerated diagnosis, samples of bacterialFlora can be sent to immunofluorescence analysis. Then the investigated samples are subjected to treatment with sera with antibodies labeled with fluorochromes. When they are combined with homologous antigens, a characteristic luminescence appears in the patient's samples. It is clearly visible in a fluorescent microscope and allows the operative diagnosis of the disease.
Analysis results
The results of laboratory tests, as a rule,are prepared within 3-5 days. A smear from the throat or nose helps to pinpoint the cause of the disease. This is extremely important for patients! Therefore, when suspected of an infectious disease, doctors often prescribe these tests. Treatment is carried out already taking into account the revealed features of the bacterial flora of the patient.
