Disease testing is a major service we provide at our urgent care clinics in Lincoln, Granite Bay, and Roseville, CA. With our onsite lab, we can offer quick results using advanced tests known as NAATs. But what are NAATs, and how can they help you? In this blog, we break down what these tests are, how they work, and what common ailments they can detect.

 

What is a NAAT?

Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs) are a type of disease testing that detects the specific genetic material of a pathogen. Capable of detecting even tiny amounts of genetic material, NAATs tend to be more accurate and return fewer false positives than other forms of testing.

 

Onsite Rapid Illness Testing Using NAATs

A NAAT can be performed using a sample of the patient’s saliva, blood, urine, or other bodily secretions. Using advanced technology, NAATs can magnify even minute amounts of disease DNA or RNA, making them especially sensitive.

 

Some NAATs can be performed at home, offering convenience and accessibility. However, patients have to follow precise instructions or risk compromising the results. For higher accuracy, we recommend walking into one of our clinics, where our onsite labs can perform NAATs in a clinical setting—no appointment needed. We’ll ensure that your NAAT is quick, reliable, and highly accurate. We also accept a wide variety of insurance plans to make testing accessible and affordable for our patients.

 

Common Uses for NAATs

 

COVID-19

COVID-19 is a viral respiratory infection that typically causes sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, fever, headache, loss of smell and taste, and body aches. Less commonly, it can also cause severe symptoms like chest pain, gray or blue-colored skin, trouble breathing, confusion, and difficulty staying awake. 

 

The most well-known application of NAATs came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they were used to detect the virus even in patients with no symptoms. If you believe you may have COVID-19, we offer both rapid antigen testing and NAATs for accurate results, and if it’s positive, we can devise a customized treatment plan to help you feel better sooner.

 

Influenza 

Influenza is a virus that is most commonly spread during the winter months but can occur at any time of year. Common symptoms include cough, congestion, body aches, headache, and fatigue. Children may also experience nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

 

NAATs enable rapid flu testing at our clinics and can help determine the type of flu you’ve contracted. Different types have similar symptoms but may be more or less severe depending on individual risk factors, allowing us to offer you better, more specialized treatment. If you’re struggling with the flu—especially if your symptoms are severe, or if you don’t seem to be getting better at home—we can help with testing and treatment, without the need for an appointment.

 

Whooping Cough

Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory illness that causes a violent cough, producing a telltale “whooping” sound. Whooping cough is caused by a bacterial—rather than viral—infection and, in addition to its characteristic cough, can cause fever, sneezing, diarrhea, vomiting, and (in severe cases) convulsions or seizures. Whooping cough can be particularly severe in infants and children, and it requires antibiotics to clear. Unlike a cold or flu, whooping cough typically won’t go away on its own.

 

NAATs can detect whooping cough with high accuracy through saliva and mucus samples. A whooping cough vaccine is also available to protect you and your child, and we’d be happy to administer it at our clinics.

 

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

NAATs are often used to test for STIs because they provide reliable results and can detect infection early. The most common STIs that NAATs detect include chlamydia, gonorrhea, and herpes. With early detection, treatment can begin before the infection worsens and reduces the risk of transmitting it to others.

 

When left untreated, STIs can have serious health consequences like pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Treatment depends on the type of infection, with bacterial STIs like chlamydia and gonorrhea requiring antibiotics and viral STIs like herpes managed with antiviral medication. If you think you may have contracted an STI, don’t be afraid to walk into our clinics and ask about testing. We conduct NAATs for STIs regularly and are here to help, not to judge. 

 

Get Rapid, Accurate Testing at Lincoln Urgent Care

No matter what you might be facing, we can help by providing accurate, extensive testing onsite—no need to visit a separate lab. Depending on your results, we can then develop a specialized treatment plan that’s right for you. We accept most major insurance plans to ensure that your care is as accessible and affordable as possible, with cash discounts for those who are uninsured. Call us or walk into one of our clinics in Lincoln, Granite Bay, or Roseville, California, conveniently serving the Rocklin and Folsom areas—no appointment necessary!

Lincoln Urgent Care: (916) 258-2751

Granite Bay Urgent Care: (916) 570-7265

Lincoln Urgent Care Roseville: (916) 727-6846