title: Blood stained cerebrospinal fluid responsible for false positive reactions of latex particle agglutination tests.
abstract: The accuracy of the latex particle agglutination test (LPAT) was assessed in blood stained cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens from 166 paediatric patients, aged from three months to 13 years. A commercial LPAT kit was used to detect Haemophilus influenzae type b, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Neisseria meningitidis A, B, and C soluble antigens. Culture of CSF specimens was used as the standard and all laboratory procedures were performed blind. The mean CSF erythrocyte count was 66,406 cells/mm3 in the cases and 11,560 cells/mm3 in the controls. The sensitivity and the specificity of LPAT were 83.8 and 94.0%, respectively, suggesting that LPAT is a useful diagnostic tool even in blood stained CSF specimens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Minas Gerais, Brasil.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Camargos
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Filho
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Pereira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000276:immunology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic