Group A Streptococcus is one of the most important causes of acute upper respiratory tract infection. Early diagnosis and treatment of Group A Streptococcal pharyngitis has been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms and further complications such as rheumatic fever and glomerulonephritis.

Conventional identification procedures for Group A Streptococcus from throat swabs involve the isolation and subsequent identification of viable pathogens by techniques that require 18 to 24 hours or longer. Osom Ultra Strep A Test detects either viable or nonviable organisms directly from a throat swab, providing results within 7 minutes. CLIA-waived.