[The detection of soluble bacterial antigens studied in various pathological substances using...

Examinations for soluble bacterial antigens using counter-immunoelectrophoresis (C.I.E.) was carried out in 151 patients suspected of suffering from various infectious syndrome were successful for S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae b, N. meningitis, sero-group B and D streptococcus. Thus meningitis and pneumonia represent those areas in which the technique is particularly useful. Apart from its rapidity--result in a hour--C.I.E., in association with bacteriology, makes possible an increase in aetiological diagnosis of 27% with H. influenzae b, 24% with S. pneumoniae and 6% with N. meningitidis (lower result by virtue of technical difficulties with sero-group B). Thus using this technique we were able to reach an aetiological diagnosis in 10 (23.8%) out of 42 cases of purulent meningitis where blind antibiotic therapy had already been given. These two advantages--rapidity and increase in aetiological diagnosis--justify the introduction of this simple technique in every medical microbiology laboratory.