1. Verify the kit's expiration date.
2. Place a clean extraction tube in the workstation rack.
3. Dispense Reagent A and Reagent B into the tube
⚠ Beware of Reagent Sequence Inversion: Adding the reagents in the wrong order or using incorrect volumes.
1. Using a tongue blade, depress the patient's tongue.
2. Using a sterile swab, vigorously swab both posterior pharyngeal areas and the tonsillar pillars. Focus on areas with visible exudate (white patches), erythema (red spots), or inflammation.
⚠ Beware of Oral Flora Contamination: Allowing the swab to touch the patient’s tongue, cheeks, or teeth during specimen collection may contaminate the sample and lead to inaccurate test results.
1. Insert the swab into the extraction tube.
2. Rotate the swab vigorously at least 10 times against the side of the tube.
⚠ Beware of Insufficient Mixing: Not rotating the swab enough times may result in incomplete antigen extraction, leading to a false negative result.
1. Allow the swab to sit in the reagent for exactly one minute.
2. After the minute is over, squeeze the sides of the flexible extraction tube firmly against the swab head to "wring out" as much liquid as possible. This ensures the maximum concentration of the extracted antigen.
⚠ Beware of Incomplete Wringing: Failing to squeeze the tube properly may result in insufficient liquid volume for the test, potentially causing a weak or invalid test result.
1. Take the test strip by the top and insert it into the extraction tube with the arrows pointing downward. Ensure the liquid level does not exceed the maximum fill line on the strip. Leave the strip in the tube and wait 5 minutes.
2. After the minute is over, squeeze the sides of the flexible extraction tube firmly against the swab head to "wring out" as much liquid as possible. This ensures the maximum concentration of the extracted antigen.
⚠ Beware of Invalid Test: If the control line (C) does not appear, the test is invalid and must be repeated with a new kit.