Evaluation of a new lateral flow test for detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila urinary antigen.

Pneumonia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Early diagnosis of the etiologic agent is important in order to choose the correct antibiotic treatment. In this study we evaluated the first commercial combined test for the agents of pneumococcal pneumonia and Legionnaires' disease based on urinary antigen detection, the ImmuView® Streptococcus pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila Urinary Antigen Test. In this evaluation, the new test had a significantly higher sensitivity than the BinaxNOW® lateral flow tests and the Binax® EIA test. This identifies the ImmuView® S. pneumoniae and L. pneumophila Urinary Antigen Test as a fast and sensitive point of care test for identification of the infectious agent in a major group of patients with pneumonia.