Clinical study on the cerebrospinal fluid antigen test for rapid diagnosis of pneumococcal meningitis

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the value of Binax NOW pneumococcal antigen test for rapid diagnosis in patients with purulent meningitis. Methods Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were collected prospectively from 86 children who were diagnosed with purulent meningitis in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Beijing Children′s Hospital from March 2013 to March 2014 and were tested by Binax NOW method. CSF culture was considered as golden standard to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the Binax NOW method. Continuous variables were compared with t test, categorical variables were compared with χ2 test. Results Among 86 cases of purulent meningitis, 34 (39.5%) had positive culture and 21 (24.4%) were Streptococcus pneumonia, while 31 (36.0%) were positive by Binax NOW test. Using CSF culture as golden standard, the sensitivity and specificity of Binax NOW for diagnosis of pneumococcal meningitis were 90.5% (19/21) and 81.5% (53/65), respectively. Conclusion Binax NOW pneumoniae antigen test in CSF yields high sensitivity and specificity, which is useful in clinical application and enables prompt and adequate treatment. Key words: Purulent meningitis; Meningitis, Bacterial; Antigens; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Binax NOW