This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by del Mar García-Suárez, M.
Right arrow Articles by Méndez, F. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by del Mar García-Suárez, M.
Right arrow Articles by Méndez, F. J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2007, p. 3549-3554, Vol. 45, No. 11
0095-1137/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.01030-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Performance of a Pneumolysin Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Diagnosis of Pneumococcal Infections{triangledown}

María del Mar García-Suárez,1* María Dolores Cima-Cabal,1 Roberto Villaverde,1 Emma Espinosa,2 Miquel Falguera,3 Juan R. de Los Toyos,4 Fernando Vázquez,1 and Francisco J. Méndez1

Área de Microbiología,1 Área de Inmunología, Departamento de Biología Funcional, Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain,4 Centro de Salud, Lugones, Asturias, Spain,2 Departmento de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova, Rovira Roure 80, 25198 Lleida, Spain3

Received 18 May 2007/ Returned for modification 26 July 2007/ Accepted 20 August 2007

A pneumolysin-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (PLY-ELISA) for the detection of pneumolysin in urine was developed and evaluated in comparison with the commercially available Binax Now Streptococcus pneumoniae test (Binax, Portland, ME) for the diagnosis of pneumococcal infections. Assay sensitivity was evaluated using urine from 108 patients with culture-confirmed pneumococcal infections. In adults, the sensitivity and specificity of the PLY-ELISA were 56.6% and 92.2%, respectively. In children with nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage, PLY-ELISA and Binax Now S. pneumoniae test sensitivities were 62.5% and 87.5%, respectively, while specificities were 94.4% and 27.8%, respectively. In children with nonnasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage, PLY-ELISA and Binax Now S. pneumoniae test sensitivities were 68.7% and 93.7%, respectively, and test specificities were 94.1% and 41.2%, respectively. The persistence of pneumolysin in urine of pneumococcal pneumonia patients decreased significantly after 4 to 6 days of treatment. Our data suggest that combining the high specificity of the PLY-ELISA with the high sensitivity of the Binax Now S. pneumoniae test would enable pneumococcal infections to be accurately diagnosed in children.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Área de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, C/Julián Clavería No. 6, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. Phone: (34) 985 10 27 40. Fax: (34) 985 10 31 48. E-mail: garciamar{at}uniovi.es

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 29 August 2007.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2007, p. 3549-3554, Vol. 45, No. 11
0095-1137/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.01030-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Smith, M. D., Sheppard, C. L., Hogan, A., Harrison, T. G., Dance, D. A. B., Derrington, P., George, R. C., on behalf of the South West Pneumococcus Study Gro, (2009). Diagnosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae Infections in Adults with Bacteremia and Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Clinical Comparison of Pneumococcal PCR and Urinary Antigen Detection. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47: 1046-1049 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»