Collecting a Throat Culture

A throat culture is taken using a cotton swab

Unlike giving a blood sample, there is little preparation required for a throat culture. The nurse will ask the patient to open his or her mouth and then wipe the back of the throat with a cotton swab to obtain some cell samples.

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This article was last reviewed on February 18, 2009. | This article was last modified on August 3, 2010.

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