1.   A throat culture taken on the day of microbiological diagnosis was negative.

2.   No throat culture from her is available.

3.   The patient described here and the fellow traveller with a positive throat culture both had a contact with a local inhabitant, during which exchange of saliva occurred.

4.   A throat culture is needed to establish a strep infection and, after treatment, another culture should be done to be sure the infection is gone.

5.   A spokeswoman for the hospital said Wednesday that the results of throat cultures were not yet known.

6.   But if a doctor still wants to prescribe a macrolide, Martin said, a throat culture should be taken and analyzed for resistance.

7.   By comparing anecdotal evidence of flu symptoms with the results of throat cultures, health officials are able to estimate the incidence of flu in the general population.

8.   If a patient is very ill or likely to expose others, doctors often start antibiotics right away and stop them if the throat culture is negative.

9.   Olivia did have strep throat a few months ago, and Block prescribed an antibiotic after a throat culture identified it as strep.