Confirmation of meningococcal disease by urinary antigen testing.
The meningococcus is an important cause of morbidity and mortality and a rapid laboratory diagnosis is required through accurate, non-culture-based methods. Body fluids that are easily obtainable are preferred for this route of diagnosis and urine is the specimen of choice as it can be obtained non-invasively. Urine samples were tested from patients with suspected meningococcal disease and tested by latex agglutination and PCR. It was shown that urinary PCR is not useful for the laboratory confirmation of MD but latex agglutination testing may be useful in certain settings prior to confirmatory testing by a reference laboratory.
Clarke
S C
SC
Scottish Meningococcus and Pneumococcus Reference Laboratory, House on the Hill, Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow G21 3UW, UK. stuart.clarke@northglasgow.scot.nhs.uk
Reid
J
J
Thom
L
L
Edwards
G F
GF
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000652:urine*; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000175:diagnosis; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests / Q000379:methods; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000652:urine*; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial