Rapid diagnosis of group B streptococcal infection utilizing a commercially available latex agglutination assay

The Wellcogen Strep B latex assay rapidly identifies all cases of culture-positive sepsis and meningitis and may be more sensitive than standard culture techniques for identifying group B Streptococcus disease and assessing the degree of severity. The quantitation of antigen concentration combined with the peripheral WBC count proves helpful in predicting poor outcome.