Admin_NHT Staff asked 6 years ago A rapid strep test (RST) is an antigen detecting test used to determine the presence of bacteria called group A Streptococcus (group A strep) in your throat and tonsils. This bacteria lives in the nose and the throat and can be easily spread to other people. People who are infected but do not show any signs or symptoms can also spread the bacteria to others. You can get a strep infection if you come in close contact with an infected person, by sharing food and utensils with an infected person, or touching sores on the skin caused by the bacteria (impetigo). Common symptoms include sore throat, swollen tonsils, difficulty swallowing, tiny red spots on the roof of the mouth.
A strep throat is more common in children aged 5 to 15 years old and usually their parents, if the child is infected. An RST involves swabbing the throat. A test is then run on the swab, and if the results come back positive, antibiotics are prescribed. The results are given rather immediately after the test, and the symptoms of the infection should subside after 24-48 hours. A throat culture is done to identify any more infections that the swab test may miss. But this takes time. A swab culture is important in children and teenagers as they are more prone to rheumatic fever from an untreated infection.