VIASURE Group A Streptococcus Real Time PCR Detection Kit is designed for the specific detection of DNA of the Streptococcus pyogenes (group A (beta-hemolytic) Streptococcus (Strep-A)) in pharyngeal and otic exudate swabs from patients with signs and symptoms of respiratory infection.

This test is intended to be used as an aid in the diagnosis of Streptococcus pyogenes infection in combination with clinical and epidemiological risk factors. DNA is extracted from specimens, multiplied using Real Time amplification and detected using specific primers and a fluorescent reporter dye probe for Streptococcus pyogenes.

Group A Streptococcus, also known as group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GAS), is a gram-positive bacterium that grows on chains, producing white to grayish colonies
surrounded by a halo of hemolysis when grown in blood agar medium. It differs from other beta-hemolytic streptococci by possessing, in its cell wall, a group A specific polysaccharide antigen (Lancefield antigen).