RAPID DETECTION OF INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS-ASSOCIATED HETEROPHILE ANTIBODIES BY A NOVEL IMMUNOCHROMATOGRAPHIC ASSAY AND A LATEX AGGLUTINATION-TEST

A novel immunochromatographic assay, the CARDS O.S. MONO test (Pacific Biotech, San Diego, Calif.), and a latex agglutination test, the Infe ctious Mononucleosis Kit (Unipath Ltd., Hampshire, United Kingdom) wer e compared with the Paul-Bunnell-Davidsohn test. Of the 957 serum spec imens studied, 78 were positive and 879 were negative by the Paul-Bunn ell-Davidsohn test. After discrepancies were resolved by determining E pstein-Barr virus serology, the sensitivities of the CARDS O.S. MONO t est and the Infectious Mononucleosis Kit were 91.0 and 96.2%, respecti vely, and both tests had a specificity and a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value and overall agreement of grea ter than 99%. The results show that both tests can accurate detect inf ectious mononucleosis-associated heterophile antibodies.