Vaginitis is an irritation of the vulva or vagina. It is very common. Many women think any irritation of the vagina or vulva is caused by a yeast infection. Yeast infection is one cause of vaginitis.
The ARIESÂ® Group A Strep Assay is a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based qualitative in vitro diagnostic test for the direct detection of Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Î²-hemolytic Streptococcus) in throat swab specimens from patients with signs and symptoms of pharyngitis.
What is PCR (polymerase chain reaction)? PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is a method to analyze a short sequence of DNA (or RNA) even in samples containing only minute quantities of DNA or RNA. PCR is used to reproduce (amplify) selected sections of DNA or RNA. Previously, amplification of DNA involved cloning the segments of interest into vectors for expression in bacteria, and took weeks. But now, with PCR done in test tubes, it takes only a few hours.