title: Streptococcus grouping latex kits: evaluation of five commercially available examples.
abstract: This study compares a recently introduced latex agglutination test for the serogrouping of beta-haemolytic streptococci against four internationally used commercial kits. The new kit is Prolex-Blue (Pro-Lab Diagnostics) and the comparators are Streptex (Murex), PathoDx (DPC), Streptococcus Grouping kit (Oxoid) and Prolex-White (Pro-Lab Diagnostics). A total of 302 consecutive clinical isolates are tested against all five kits, following the individual manufacturer's protocol, for both accuracy and speed. In addition, the data produced permits determination of the strengths or weaknesses of the kits against individual serotypes. Prolex-Blue proved to be both accurate and rapid, with a sensitivity of 99% and a specificity of 100%. Furthermore, average time to agglutination was substantially less than achieved by three of the other four kits evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield S5 7AU, UK. steve.davies@sth.nhs.uk
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Gear
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: McIntyre
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000145:classification*
chemical_list: D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic