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Article: Why do doctors take throat cultures?(Ask Doctor Cory)
- Article from:
- Children's Digest
- Article date:
- September 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Why do doctors take throat cultures? When they put the stick so far down my throat, it makes me gag.
Stacy McConnell Lockport, New York Dear Stacy:
Strep throat is caused by the bacterium streptococcus. Throat cultures help doctors find out if a throat infection is caused by streptococcus.
To get a sample of your throat mucus, doctors must touch the back of your throat and your tonsils with a long, cotton-tipped stick. That is where the bacteria grow.
Unfortunately, going that far back in the mouth usually triggers ...