ENZYME-IMMUNOASSAY DETECTING TEICHOIC AND LIPOTEICHOIC ACIDS VERSUS CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID CULTURE AND LATEX AGGLUTINATION FOR DIAGNOSIS OF STREPTOCOCCUS-PNEUMONIAE MENINGITIS

A newly developed enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was used to detect the pres ence of pneumococcal teichoic and lipoteichoic acids in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis who were being treated with antibiotics. All initial CSF samples, which o n culture grew S. pneumoniae, were positive in the EIA. A total of 14 subsequent culture-negative samples gave clear signals in the EIA up t o day 15 after the onset of antibiotic treatment. For 11 CSF specimens , culture, microscopy, and latex agglutination were negative while the EIA detected pneumococcal antigens. The EIA did not react either with CSF of patients with meningitis caused by bacteria other than S. pneu moniae or by viral pathogens. In conclusion, this EIA can be a valuabl e tool for the diagnosis of S. pneumoniae meningitis from CSF samples in cases in which prior antimicrobial therapy minimizes the usefulness of culture or other antigen detection tests.