How To Swab a Throat for Testing By Vikas Mehta, MD, MPH, Montefiore Medical Center Reviewed / Revised Mar 2023 View Patient Education Indications Contraindications Complications Equipment Relevant Anatomy Positioning Step-by-Step Description of Procedure Aftercare Warnings and Common Errors Tips and Tricks In pharyngitis (tonsillopharyngitis), testing of throat swabs may be done to identify infection with group A beta-hemolytic streptococci or N gonorrhea.