Inverness Medical has introduced the TestPack Strep A rapid test to tackle the problems caused by delays in diagnosing Streptococcus Group A (Strep A) pharyngitis
About 20 percent of all cases of tonsillopharyngitis are caused by Strep A (Ref 1).
Typically occurring in children, infection is highest in schools, nursing homes and hospitals.
To avoid complications such as rheumatic fever, when a patient presents with a sore throat antibiotics are often over prescribed.
This premature and often inappropriate use of antibiotics can lead to Strep A developing a resistance, highlighting the importance of rapid point of care testing.
TestPack Strep A requires a simple throat swab sample from the patient which is extracted with the reagents included in the pack.
Colour change controls in the reagent mixing stage provide reassurance that the reagents have been mixed correctly.
Once the extract has been applied to the test there is no need for a clock, the in-built end of assay control shows when the test is complete.
In addition to the procedural controls present in other rapid Strep A tests, there are two in-built controls.
The positive on-board control gives an extra measure of quality control by demonstrating test functionality, since it will only appear if the reagents are chemically active.
The negative on-board control is a marker to indicate false positive results.
The controls indicate a non-specific binding entity in the specimen.
Results are also easy to interpret with recognisable plus and minus signs, adding to the simple user friendly design.
The easy to use TestPack Strep A test provides healthcare clinicians with comprehensive reliable results in just five minutes, a vast improvement on traditional culture techniques that take 24 - 48 hours to develop.
Such a rapid response enables doctors and healthcare workers to administer the most appropriate treatment without delay.
Unlike other rapid Strep A tests, the design of TestPack Strep A gives clinicians added confidence in their results and requires little to no training due to the inclusion of innovative in-built controls which monitor time as well as validity.
TestPack is a range of rapid diagnostic tests produced by Inverness Medical, designed for easy point-of-care use by healthcare professionals.
In addition to TestPack Strep A, also available in the range are TestPack hCG Urine and TestPack hCG Combo for the qualitative detection of human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) in urine or urine and serum for the early detection of pregnancy.
All TestPack diagnostic tests include the in-built controls for monitoring validity.
Ref 1 - Adam D (2000) Group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) tonsillopharyngitis is still a common problem, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 45, Topic T1, 1-2.
