%0 Journal Article %A Martin, Diana R. %A Stanhope, J. M. %A Finch, Lesley A. %T Delayed Culture of Group-A Streptococci: An Evaluation Of Variables in Methods of Examining Throat Swabs %D 1977 %J Journal of Medical Microbiology, %V 10 %N 2 %P 249-253 %@ 1473-5644 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/00222615-10-2-249 %I Microbiology Society, %X SUMMARY We studied the effects on the frequency of isolation of group-A streptococci from throat swabs of school children of three variables: (1) plating the cultures within 4 h of collecting the swabs or after storage for 4 days at room temperature; (2) using a plain or a serum-coated cotton swab; and (3) including silica gel in the swab tube or omitting this. Under the conditions of our experiment, only delayed plating of the swab gave a statistically significant advantage. When the delayed-isolation technique was used, neither the swab type nor the presence or absence of silica gel significantly influenced the result. The least advantageous combination of variables was: plating within 4 h, a plain swab, and the absence of silica gel. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-10-2-249