Throat swabs in children with respiratory tract infection: associations with clinical presentation and potential targets for point-of-care testing

Conclusion.Findings demonstrate that clinical presentation cannot distinguish the presence of bacteria or viruses in the upper respiratory tract. However, individual and overall microbe prevalence was greater when children were unwell than when well, providing some evidence that upper respiratory tract microbes may be the cause or consequence of the illness. If causal, selective microbial point-of-care testing could be beneficial.
Source: Family Practice - Category: Primary Care Source Type: research