Latex Agglutination Test (LAT) – For rapid diagnosis of acute bacterial meningitis

Abstract

Acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in children. Identifying the organism causing meningitis helps in right choice of antibiotics and determines the duration of treatment. Children who are clinically suspected to have meningitis often receive antibiotics before definitive diagnosis. This renders the CSF sterile, hence yield from culture and gram stain diminishes. Rapid diagnosis of ABM can be done by identification of bacterial antigens in the CSF by immunological test like LAT. Most of the commercially available LAT kits include reagents to test the most common bacteria causing meningitis. A wide range of sensitivity and specificity has been reported in various studies from 60% to 93% for the various organisms. It is not a substitute for bacterial culture. However in partially treated meningitis where culture is usually negative, it is very valuable. During the outbreaks it is more useful for rapid diagnosis while awaiting the culture. It is a simple test where expertise is not required.