Dipstick Test Diagnoses Bacterial Meningitis

A new test for diagnosing bacterial meningitis is cheap, fast, and effective, and does not require complicated laboratory equipment, not even a refrigerator.

The new test was developed by Suzanne Chanteau and colleagues at the Institut Pasteur, (Paris, France) and the Centre de Recherche Médical et Sanitaire (CERMES), National Reference Center for Meningitis, Ministry of Health, Réseau International Instituts Pasteur (Niamey, Niger). They developed and evaluated two duplex rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for detecting Neisseria meningitidis polysaccharide (PS) antigens of several important serogroups. The tests were described in the September 5, 2006, issue of PLoS Medicine and will soon be produced in a new facility in Niamey.

Health workers routinely collect spinal fluid when examining someone who is suspected of having meningitis, but the DNA and cell culture tests currently used are complicated and expensive. The dipstick test has the considerable advantage of being stable for weeks in hot weather, and works reliably at up to 45?C. In a simple procedure, two paper strips (dipsticks) are dipped in samples of a patient's spinal fluid. After a few minutes, red lines appear on the dipsticks indicating which of four types of bacteria are present in the sample. The scientists found that their test identified the correct bacteria in over 97% of cases.

Outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis (meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis) are a major public health concern in the African "meningitis belt,” which includes 21 countries from Senegal to Ethiopia. Of the several species that can cause meningitis, N meningitidis is the most important cause of epidemics in this region. The two new RDTs will enable accurate determination of the N meningitidis serogroup, which is required in order to determine the appropriate vaccine.



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Institut Pasteur
CERMES