Efficacy of an enzyme immunoassay for detection of gonorrhea in males and females

An enzyme immunoassay for detecting gonococcal antigen [Gonozyme -GC- EIA] was evaluated in this study in diagnosis of both male and female urogenital specimens and copared to the conventional methods i.e. Gram-Stained smears, and culture. For male specimens, specificity and both positive and negative predictive values [p.v.] all exceeded 92% and up to 100%. With female patients the values were slightly lower but still of high specificity [89.2%] and negative p.v. [87%]. Gram staining showed much lower sensitivity especially in the endocervical specimens [55.5% compared to 88.8% of GC-EIA], however, it had 100% +ve p.v. In both populations. In conclusion GG-EIA is useful as a rapid, specific and sensitive diagnostic tool of gonorrhoea

Direct wet smear in diagnosis of otomycosis

Forty-eight patients with mycotic otitis externa were selected and grouped on the basis of the amount of fungal growth revealed by macroscopic otoscopic examination. Their specimens were subjected to both "wet" microscopy and fungal culture. Clinical findings revealed that the severity of symptoms was proportional to the amount of fungal growth. Direct wet microscopy for clinical materials gave a diagnostic sensitivity of 93% for cases diagnosed easily by head-mirror examination and about 65% for cases diagnosed inconveniently by otoscopic examination. The diagnostic rate of culture is much higher especially in latter cases. Aspergillus species are more likely to be identified by direct smear than the other species