Effect of medium and cultivation conditions on comparisons between latex agglutination and culture detection of group A streptococci.

In the laboratory diagnosis of pharyngitis, results from latex agglutination tests (LAT) performed directly on throat swabs are often compared with the isolation of group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) from simultaneously obtained swabs cultivated on a variety of media under different atmospheric conditions. In this study, results of an LAT, Directigen, were compared with those of two different media: sheep blood agar (SBA) and group A selective strep agar (ssA). Specimens inoculated on SBA were incubated in three different atmospheres: air, 3 to 5% CO2, and anaerobically. Those inoculated on ssA were incubated in 3 to 5% CO2 only. Isolation of GABHS was confirmed by coagglutination. The standard for true positivity was the isolation of GABHS from at least one of the simultaneous cultures. Comparisons were made with samples from 693 adult patients. GABHS was isolated on at least one of the three cultures in 143 patients, demonstrating an isolation rate of 20.6%. LAT exhibited a sensitivity of 95.1%. SBA incubated in air, in CO2, or anaerobically had sensitivities of 86.2, 85.9, and 93.7%, respectively. The ssA detected 99.3% of the positive specimens. Single SBA culture proved to be inferior to LAT and therefore was a poor standard for measuring LAT performance. Single ssA cultures demonstrated the greatest sensitivity in GABHS detection and therefore could serve as a standard for measuring LAT performance.

Rapid diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis in adult emergency room patients.

A rapid latex agglutination slide test for group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal throat infections was prospectively evaluated. Resident physicians, working in an adult non-acute emergency room, recorded clinical data and collected throat swabs from 729 adult patients with sore throats. Research assistants obtained throat swabs from 329 control patients. Sensitivity and specificity, compared with routine cultures, were 96% and 97%, respectively. Analyses of clinical predictions and of test results for control patients, however, suggest that this test may perform better than routine culture. The test provides a rapid, accurate, potentially useful alternative for diagnosing group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis in adults.

Total volume culture technique for the isolation of microorganisms from continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients with peritonitis.

A total volume method of culturing dialysis fluid from continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients during episodes of peritonitis was developed. Concentrated culture media stored in small blood transfer bags were added directly to the drained dialysate exchange bags by the same technique used to carry out the dialysate exchange. The exchange bag with the added culture medium was incubated at 35 degrees C and observed for turbidity. Seventy-eight dialysis exchange bags from patients without clinical peritonitis (negative controls) and forty-eight dialysis exchange bags from patients with clinical peritonitis were cultured. Bacteria were recovered from all cultures of patients with clinical peritonitis (100% sensitivity) and from five cultures of negative control fluids (94% specificity). Of these isolates, 86% were gram positive, and 14% were gram negative. This technique represents an advance over previously described culture techniques in its ability to isolate the causative organism(s) in cases of peritonitis in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients.