Hemagglutination inhibition for serogrouping of Neisseria meningitidis

A hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test has been studied as an alternative to bacterial agglutination (BA) for serogrouping strains of Neisseria meningitidis isolated from clinical specimens. The HI test consists of polysaccharide antigens adsorbed to sheep red blood cells which were then agglutinated by group-specific antisera. Supernatant fluids from suspensions of meningococci were used to inhibit the agglutination. Results of the two tests agreed for 381 (80%) carrier strains. Of the remaining 95 strains, 82 (86%) were identified by HI although they were nongroupable by BA. Thus, the HI test has been shown to be more highly specific and sensitive and to be more economical of reagents and time than the BA test.