To detect the bacterial growth on any surface.
The swab test is basically where you swab an object, then rub it onto some kind of agar, and see if anything grows. Assuming you did everything sterilely you will be able to see if there are any bacteria or fungi or whatever on an object as well as what kinds.
Swab test for cartons box
A drug test which takes a large q-tip and brushes it in the inside of your mouth(cheeks) to optain a sample for testing.