Study question

In children and adolescents suspected of having acute pharyngitis caused by group A streptococcus (GAS), are office-based rapid antigen detection tests (RADTs) more sensitive than office-based blood agar plate cultures (BAPs)?

Study design

Design:

blinded comparisons of office-based RADTs and BAPs with laboratory-based cultures.

Setting:

6 paediatric offices (3 in Chicago, Illinois and 3 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA).

Patients:

1848 children and adolescents 3–18 years of age (mean age 9 y, 53% girls, 56% with McIsaac clinical scores >3) were tested for pharyngitis.

Description of tests:

1 of 2 throat swabs was used to perform the RADT and the BAP.

Diagnostic standard:

the second throat swab was sent to a hospital laboratory to be cultured.

Outcomes:

sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios for detecting …