A rapid latex agglutination test for the detection of anti-cysticercus antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

• Published in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo 2002, Vol.44 (1), p.57-58
• Main Authors: Rocha, Sérgio M, Suzuki, Lisandra A, Silva, Andréa D T da, Arruda, Gisele C, Rossi, Cláudio L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Helminth - cerebrospinal fluid; Antibody detection; Cysticercus - immunology; Humans; Latex agglutination test; Latex Fixation Tests - methods; Neurocysticercosis - cerebrospinal fluid; Neurocysticercosis - immunology; Sensitivity and Specificity; Taenia solium cysticercus; TROPICAL MEDICINE
• ISSN: 0036-4665; 1678-9946; 0036-4665; 1678-9946
• DOI: 10.1590/S0036-46652002000100011

Simple and rapid latex-based diagnostic tests have been used for detecting specific antigens or antibodies in several diseases. In this article, we present the preliminary results obtained with a latex agglutination test (LAT) for diagnosing neurocysticercosis by detection of antibodies in CSF. A total of 43 CSF samples were assayed by the LAT: 19 CSF samples from patients with neurocysticercosis and 24 CSF samples from patients with other neurologic disorders (neurosyphilis, n = 8; neurotoxoplasmosis, n = 3; viral meningitis, n = 4, chronic headache, n = 9). The LAT exhibited 89.5% sensitivity and 75% specificity. The use of LAT seems to be an additional approach for the screening of neurocysticercosis with advantage of simplicity and rapidity. Further studies could be performed using purified antigens and serum samples.