How reliable and useful is the latex agglutination test in diagnosing streptococcal throat infection in general practice?

A rapid latex agglutination test for diagnosing streptococcal pharyngitis in general practice was evaluated on 226 patients with acute throat infection. The test had a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 91% regarding group A beta hemolytic streptococci. The test was fairly simple to perform and the result was available before the patient left the office. The test was supplied as a self-contained kit, was safe to handle and economically acceptable. Even through this test is not a reliable as the traditional microbiological culture, it represents a significant practical and clinical improvement in the daily management of patients with acute throat infections.