This Article  • Full text  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on ISI (1)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154:93-94.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

I read with great interest the article by Tsevat and Kotagal¹ and the accompanying editorial by Pichichero.² They reviewed the costs of diagnosing streptococcal pharyngitis, and agreed that diagnostic testing needs to be performed. Tsevat and Kotagal concluded that on a cost-effectiveness basis, the throat culture was the diagnostic method of choice, while Pichichero recommended either a throat culture or a well-performed rapid antigen test.

The summary of per-patient costs by these 2 sets of authors included: $6.85 for throat culture alone; $8.91 for an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test rapid antigen test alone; $10.45 for an EIA test and a follow-up culture for negative rapid antigen tests; $12.18 for an optical immunoassay (OIA) rapid antigen test; and $13.35 for an OIA and a culture. Empirical treatment without testing cost $11.62 per patient.

While it is understandable that personnel time costs could not be included in those calculations, I submit that . . . [Full Text of this Article]