Latex particle agglutination tests on the cerebrospinal fluid. A reappraisal.

Rapid diagnostic tests are often used to identify microbial etiology of infection early. Latex particle agglutination (LPA) tests on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are frequently used for purpose of rapid diagnosis. We evaluated their usefulness in management of patients with suspected meningitis. We also evaluated the cost effectiveness of LPAs during an 11-month period; 1,540 CSF specimens were tested for H. influenzae type b, Group B streptococcal (GBS), N. meningitidis and S. pneumoniae using LPAs. Only 27 were positive. LPAs were useful in management of only the neonates with GBS infection. On the whole, LPAs were very expensive and not cost-effective.