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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
High-throughput Detection Method for Influenza Virus
Published on: February 4, 2012
Detection of antigenuria for diagnosis of invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b disease
Samir K Saha1, Abdullah H Baqui, Shams El Areefin
1Department of Microbiology, Dhaka Shishu Children's Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. sksaha@bangla.net
Insights
The Wellcogen latex agglutination test accurately diagnoses Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) pneumonia and meningitis in children using urine. This urine test is more sensitive and specific than blood cultures for detecting Hib infections.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
- Diagnostic Immunology
Background:
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) causes significant childhood mortality, particularly in developing nations.
- Prompt and accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment of Hib-related pneumonia and meningitis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic utility of the Wellcogen quantitative latex agglutination (LA) test in urine for Hib pneumonia and meningitis.
- To compare the sensitivity and specificity of the urine LA test against traditional diagnostic methods.
Main Methods:
- Urine specimens from healthy and sick children under 5 years old were tested using the Wellcogen LA test.
- Boiled, non-concentrated urine samples were analyzed.
- Testing was also performed on vaccinated children at various time points post-vaccination.
Main Results:
- The LA test identified all confirmed Hib pneumonia (10/10) and meningitis (35/35) cases.
- The test showed high specificity, with no positive results in children with non-Hib etiologies.
- Quantitative analysis revealed higher antigenuria levels (≥1:8 for pneumonia, ≥1:16 for meningitis) in sick children compared to healthy controls (≤1:4).
- The LA test identified 16 additional Hib pneumonia cases not confirmed by culture.
Conclusions:
- The Wellcogen LA test using boiled, non-concentrated urine is a sensitive and highly specific diagnostic tool for Hib pneumonia and meningitis.
- This urine-based test offers advantages over blood culture alone for diagnosing Hib infections in children.
Background:
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) diseases are responsible for an estimated 400,000 childhood deaths, mostly in developing countries.
Objectives:
To determine the value of the Wellcogen quantitative latex agglutination test (LA) in urine for the diagnosis of Hib pneumonia and meningitis.
Methods:
Healthy and sick children aged <5 y were enrolled in Dhaka Shishu (Children's) Hospital. Boiled and non-concentrated urine specimens underwent LA testing. In vaccinated subjects, urine was tested by LA at 24 h, 4-6 and 7-10 d after vaccination.
Results:
Of 1302 enrolled cases, 201 were healthy (90 Hib vaccine recipients and 111 provided NP) and 1101 were sick with either pneumonia (n=974) or meningitis (n=127). Among the healthy children enrolled, 41 (41/111, 37%) were colonised with Hib and two (2/41, 5%) were positive by LA test. Hib antigenuria among the children who had received Hib vaccination was mainly detected only on day 1 (7/90, 8%) of vaccination. Among the sick children, LA test for Hib antigen was positive for all confirmed cases of Hib pneumonia (10) and meningitis (35). In contrast, none of the urine specimens from the cases with a known aetiology other than Hib (n=104) was positive. Quantitative analysis of antigenuria of sick children showed that it is positive at least up to 1:8 and 1:16 dilutions for pneumonia and meningitis, respectively, in contrast with
Conclusions:
The Wellcogen LA test for Hib using boiled and non-concentrated urine is more sensitive than blood culture alone and is highly specific.
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