[New approach to the diagnosis of meningococcal infection: latex-erythrocyte agglutination]. / Novyi podkhod v diagnostike meningokokkovoi infektsii: lateks-éritrotsitarnaia aggliutinatsiia.

A principal possibility and advantages of the diagnosis of meningococcal infection by means of agglutination of sensibilized latex particles with erythrocytes have been demonstrated. Polysterene carboxylated latex has been sensibilized by rabbit JgG to meningococcus of serogroup A. Dynamics of absorption of meningococcal polysaccharide on erythrocytes in vivo has been studied in mice.

[Microanalytical methods: latex agglutination and immunoenzyme analysis in the diagnosis of meningococcal infection]. / Metody mikroanaliza: lateks-aggliutinatsiia i immunofermentnyi analiz v diagnostike meningokokkovoi infektsii.

Modified polystyrene latexes with high adsorption capacity, comparable to that of latexes produced by Difco Laboratories (USA), have been developed in the USSR. Diagnostic latex preparations for the detection of meningococci of serogroups A, C, Y and Haemophilus influenza, type b, prepared on the basis of these new latexes, have shown high specificity and sensitivity in experimental and clinical tests. The latex preparations for the detection of serogroup B meningococci requires further improvement. The use of latex preparations, together with other laboratory methods, in the diagnosis of meningococcal infection has promoted the etiological confirmation of the disease in 84% of cases; this method has proved to be 1.5 times more effective than the bacteriological one and not less sensitive than the enzyme immunoassay, while being more specific.