Determination of patient herpes simplex virus immune status by latex agglutination.

A rapid latex agglutination (LA) test was compared with complement fixation and enzyme immunoassay for the determination of herpes simplex virus immune status in sera of patients. Of 173 samples, 88% gave concordant results in all three assays (115 positive and 37 negative). The LA and complement fixation tests agreed 92% of the time, and the LA agreed with the enzyme immunoassay 94% of the time. LA is a simple and rapid test which can be used for determining the herpes simplex virus immune status in sera of patients.