Areta Individually Wrapped Strep A Tests for Strep Throat Testing, CLIA Waived - 25 Tests/Kit

Purchased these for cost for clinic use. Purchased 2 boxes. For both boxes the positive control comes back as negative (just as the negative control). Have used various brands of strep test strips for years in the professional medical setting and doing controls, per instructions, essentially the same regardless of brand. Stating this to ensure readers that failure of positive control to test positive is not due to "technician error". To cross check, tested a patient with these strips - result negative. Sent a throat culture and did an ASO titer on same patient same day, both positive. Used Mckesson brand rapid test strip on patient - result positive. Not sure if it was just the manufacturer batch I received that was faulty or if this poor quality represents most of strips made by Areta. All I know is for the ones I purchased a "negative" does not mean a patient does not have active strep infection. Will not purchase again.

I bought these to save us some Dr. visits. My son came down with a sore throat I gave him the test and it was negative. I waited a day gave another test still negative by the 3rd day when at this point I could see white blisters in his throat I again gave him the test also watched a video about doing the test just to be sure I was doing it right still it showed negative. At this point my younger son was now complaining of throat pain off to urgent care we go. Both boys tested positive for strep. Came home and swabbed my oldest 2 more times (he is a good sport) and still nothing in the trash they go. THIS PRODUCT CAN NOT BE TRUSTED!!

I work in a lab situation, so I am pretty familiar with how and when to correctly swab for a good sample. The only time I ever got a positive reading was when I used the positive control. Even then, the positive line was very faint. My son definitely had strep and gave a glowing positive when he was tested at the Dr's office. These are not reliable at all! Try a different brand.

Have bought four of these over the last four years. Caught strep eight out of eight times—keeps us from going to the pediatrician for no reason and risk getting something worse than just a cold. This is very accurate and will continue buying until I die.Mix 4 drops from larger two bottlesSwab ThroatPlace in mixture and twist a couple timesWait a minutesPull out swabPut test stick inWait until liquid climbs stick—and higher red line showsPull out test stickWait a couple minutes—If two lines, make an appointment—

This is the 2nd time I have ordered this product (I haven't had to use this box yet). With a high deductible insurance plan, I hated to hear from the doctor "nope, your child doesn't have strep. There is nothing I can do for you. That will be $100". Now I know when to definitely schedule an appointment as antibiotics are required to clear up the strep throat. That said, it shouldn't replace a visit to the doctor if the child doesn't improve in a day or two after some rest and fluids. The test has never been wrong for me, but the child may have another infection which requires attention by a medical professional. Easy to use! I have recommended to all of my friends.

I purchased this kit after 5 of us tested positive for strep throat. Logically, it's more convenient and less expensive to test at home than to make appointments for everyone. About a month after purchasing it, we had another bout of intense sore throats and thought we had strep again. Thankfully we didn't. I used the kit with mixed results - either negative or invalid. I found it easy to use but difficult for me to interpret. I'm giving it 4 stars because it is nice to have the ability to test from home but the test strip should be improved to show more clearly which lines are the control and test lines.

I received this kit in November, 2015 and it has an expiration date of December 2016. I understand that the manufacturer creates them with a shelf life of two years. I also understand that it is difficult to stock them and for the customer to have a good idea of the shelf life they will receive when ordered online. Given the cost, I don't feel like getting essentially one year's availability out of them is a good value for me. I love the idea of having this kit, and I love the convenience of ordering on Amazon, but I will not be purchasing this again without a clearer understanding of how long I will have a viable test kit. I have not used this kit yet, so I cannot comment on its accuracy or ease-of-use.UPDATE: I just used the kit on my son, who has clear strep symptoms, and it returned positive. I tested on myself and it returned negative. Testing was straightforward and results were easy to interpret. Moving up to three stars (one star for shelf life, five stars for quality and ease of use).