[Comparison of diagnostic methods in rotavirus infection: immunofluorescence, ELISA and the latex agglutination test]

To examine the sensitivity and reliability of a latex agglutination test for detecting rotavirus in faecal samples, we have tested 145 stool specimens from pediatric patients with or without diarrhea, comparing such latex test to immunofluorescent antibody technique (IF) and ELISA. Among all samples positive by IF and ELISA, 52.9% were positive by latex test. This percentage was raised to 85.7% when only positive samples from patients with diarrhea were considered. We conclude that the latex test is an useful diagnostic tool in acute diarrhea because of its simplicity and of its sufficient sensitivity.