title: Cerebrospinal fluid testing for the diagnosis of central nervous system infection.
abstract: The central nervous system (CNS) is susceptible to bacterial, viral, and fungal infections, and prion diseases. Examination of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is crucial in diagnosing these infections. Cerebrospinal tests may directly identify an organism and its nucleic acid and surface constituents by culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), or antigen detection. Alternatively, antibody to an organism may be identified in CSF by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot, or complement fixation assay. This article discusses how these CSF tests are performed and addresses the sensitivity and specificity of such tests for the diagnosis of selected CNS infections.
authors.affiliation: Acting Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington 98104, USA. jzunt@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Zunt
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Marra
mesh_terms: D000918:Antibody Specificity / Q000276:immunology; D002494:Central Nervous System Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods