Evaluation of a commercial kit for detection of Streptococcus pyogenes in a burns unit

The presence of Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus) may increase morbidity in burns patients. A rapid detection system enabling early therapeutic intervention is therefore desirable. A commercial kit (Wellcome Diagnostics Reveal Colour Strep A) was evaluated in a burns unit. Two separate studies were undertaken. The first compared two swabs taken from a particular burn site, one of which was cultured conventionally and the other processed for rapid detection. In the second study, swabs were processed routinely and then subjected to the rapid detection test in order to assess reproducibility of results. In our hands the rapid test was easy to perform and correlated well with conventional culture. We recommend the use of a rapid detection system for S. pyogenes as a useful adjunct to conventional culture methods.