Latex agglutination for rapid detection of Pseudomonas pseudomallei antigen in urine of patients with melioidosis.

Journal article

A latex agglutination test for the detection of Pseudomonas pseudomallei antigen in urine was evaluated for the rapid diagnosis of melioidosis. With unconcentrated urine, antigen was detected in only 18% of patients with melioidosis overall. However, when urine was concentrated 100-fold, antigen was detected in 47% overall and in 67% of patients with septicaemia or disseminated infection, in whom a rapid diagnosis is most important. The specificity of the test was 100%. These results compared favourably with an enzyme immunoassay. This latex agglutination test is a simple, rapid and highly specific method of diagnosing melioidosis, and will be particularly useful in areas with limited laboratory facilities.

Authors: Smith, MD; Wuthiekanun, V; Walsh, A; Teerawattanasook, N; Desakorn, V

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Journal of clinical pathology
• Volume: 48
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 174-176
• Publication date: 1995-02-01
• DOI: 10.1136/jcp.48.2.174
• EISSN: 1472-4146
• ISSN: 0021-9746
• Language: English
• Keywords: Evaluation Studies as Topic; Antigens, Bacterial; Burkholderia pseudomallei; Humans; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Sensitivity and Specificity; Time Factors; Melioidosis; Latex Fixation Tests