Evaluation of a new latex agglutination kit for detection of human rotavirus in faecal specimens

Abstract

A commercial latex agglutination (LA) test was compared with ELISA and direct electron microscopy (EM) for detection of rotavirus antigen in 93 stool specimens obtained from as many children with acute gastroenteritis. 71 specimens (76.3%) were either positive or negative with all the 3 techniques, while 22 (23.7%) gave contradictory results. Only 1 sample was positive by LA test but not with ELISA or EM. The sensitivity of LA test and EM was 62.5% (30 or 48) and 75% (36 of 48); the corresponding specificity being 97.7% (44 of 45) and 100% (45 of 45) respectively. ELISA was more sensitive than the LA test and EM for detection of rotavirus antigen. LA test which is highly specific and a rapid method, may be useful in certain situations but its low sensitivity makes it unsuitable for use in routine clinical practice.