With so much attention being paid to influenza prevention and diagnostics, it’s easy to forget that the winter months bring a tapestry of illnesses and respiratory bugs for both adults and especially children.
Some range from the routine, mild and inevitable (the common cold, gastroenteritis/norovirus), to more serious and necessitating treatment (respiratory syncytial virus, strep throat, ear infection, viral croup, bacterial meningitis).
Swift Diagnosis is Essential
In addition to a host of other vectors and rare diseases, some of the aforementioned illnesses can develop side complications such as pneumonia or infections, which are bacterial in nature. Because many common winter illnesses have similar symptoms, however, the first step towards diagnosis is distinguishing between a bacterial and viral origin, followed by clinical tests to further establish a specific cause.
Swab for Winter Illnesses Like Strep Throat as Soon as Symptoms Arise
As with influenza (discussed in our last blog post), many of these illnesses require swift clinical diagnosis and treatment to ensure patient comfort and to minimize transmission in the general population. Strep throat, for example, a throat bacterial infection caused by Group A Streptococcus bacteria, is highly treatable with a common course of antibiotics. Left untreated, it can cause severe complications, including rheumatic fever, serious kidney failure and in some cases, even death.
High Quality Swab Samples Are a Must
Diagnosing bacterial illnesses has become faster, better and more accurate than ever, especially with the advent of automation, highly sensitive molecular techniques and diagnostics tests andnucleic-based rapid testsfrom swab samples. Especially where sample size may be limited, it is incredibly important to collect and preserve the highest quality swab sample for culture, tests and diagnostics.
Choose Puritan Liquid Amies for Bacterial Sample Collection
Puritan Medical Products understands the unique needs of medical professionals during these high volume winter months. That is why we specifically developed our Liquid Amies system for the collection and transport of clinically significant bacteria. Composed of medical grade materials for superior performance, our liquid amies vials contain modified liquid amies medium, which maintains viability of aerobic, anaerobic, and fastidious bacteria.
In addition, our proprietary HydraFlock® swabs are composed of multi-length, “split-end” fibers, which are uniquely engineered for a greater surface area, resulting in faster collection, patient comfort, and increased viability of sample from swab to culture to laboratory. Our liquid amies system guarantees the most efficient absorption and elution of sample, along with safe, reliable preservation.
All of Puritan’s line of medical products are manufactured in the United States, adhere to strict quality control guidelines and are always customizable to customer specifications. Because of this, our customers can feel secure that their laboratories and clinics will never run out of necessary swabbing supplies during the busy winter influx of patients.
