Human African trypanosomiasis: a latex agglutination field test for quantifying IgM in cerebrospinal fluid

LATEX/lgM, a rapid agglutination test for the semi-quantitative detection o f lgM in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with African trypanosomiasis, is d escribed in this article, The lyophilized reagent has been designed for fie ld use and remains stable at 45 degrees C for one year. The test has been e valuated on cerebrospinal fluid samples from trypanosome-infected and non-i nfected patients, by comparison with commercial latex agglutination, radial immunodiffusion, and nephelometry. AN test systems yielded similar results .