title: Evaluation of three methods for culturing alginate throat swabs from cystic fibrosis patients.
abstract: Deep throat swabs are usually cultured for potential respiratory pathogens in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who do not produce sputum. Using alginate swabs, three methods were examined in the present study: (i) semiquantitative processing (direct plating); (ii) mere elution of swabs in Ringer's lactate followed by plating of the eluate; and (iii) complete quantitative processing (elution plus two-step dilution series). Throat swabs from 56 CF patients yielded 122 isolates of potential respiratory pathogens. Semiquantitative processing (n = 101 isolates) was not significantly inferior to elution (n = 104) and quantitative processing (n = 113; p > 0.05). Since semiquantitative processing is the simplest method, it is to be preferred, provided that alginate swabs are used.
authors.affiliation: Section of Bacteriology, University Children's Hospital, Eberhard Karl University, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: von Einem
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stern
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000464:Alginates; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003470:Culture Media; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005658:Fungi / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013048:Specimen Handling