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Determination of Neisseria meningitis antigens in the liquor
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
Of great importance for the early diagnosis of meningococcal infection is the study of cerebrospinal fluid in patients with meningeal symptoms to detect Neisseria meningitis antigens. Many diagnostic test systems are currently produced for these purposes. The test systems are based on the latex test. If meningococcal antigens are present in the cerebrospinal fluid, the latex test becomes positive, the result can be obtained within 15-30 minutes (sensitivity and specificity - about 90%).
Diagnostic tests based on the ELISA method for detecting meningococcal antigens in cerebrospinal fluid have greater sensitivity (more than 80%) and specificity (more than 95%) than latex tests.
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