An ELISA assay for the rapid diagnosis of acute bacterial meningitis.

A recently introduced ELISA test (EIA-Test) was used for the detection of the common organisms that cause acute bacterial meningitis (ABM). The test--which detects antigens of Haemophilus influenzae type b, Neisseria meningitidis (serogroups A, B, C) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (25 selected types)--is performed in less than 1 hour and read by the naked eye. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens of 125 Sudanese children (1 month-14 years) admitted with a provisional diagnosis of meningitis/meningoencephalitis were prospectively examined with the EIA-Test, direct microscopy (DM) using Gram stain and culture. Of the 56 positive CSF specimens, the EIA-Test had the highest yield (100%), followed by culture (33.9%) and DM (30.4%). Nineteen (33.9%) of the positive samples came from children who had been treated with antibiotics prior to admission, and all were positive in the EIA-Test. EIA-Test was also the only positive test in 31 (55.4%) cases. From the present study, and similar to previous observations, the EIA-Test seems to have valuable potential for the rapid diagnosis of ABM and is of particular help in patients who have been pre-treated with antibiotics.