英国Oxoid公司推出脑膜炎快速检测方法

快速诊断检测方法能够在体液中检测严重细菌性脑膜炎的主要致病原因，例如在血清和脑脊液（CSF）中，只需要1小时。

这种Wellcogen范围的检测方法是由Oxoid公司提供的。这种乳胶凝集检测方法能够在不到10分钟的时间内，提供CSF的急性细菌性脑膜炎第一线的确诊资料，血清检测需要的时间则稍微长一些，因为血液需要时间凝集。这就为医生提供了指南，在尚未得到细菌培养的结果的情况下，就可以立即开始合适的治疗方案。

细菌性脑膜炎的严重程度以及特定条件下产生扩散的能力，在中国尤其突出，2005年1月的一次爆发即影响250多人并导致至少16人死亡。权威机构认为对及时报告感染情况是控制爆发的最重要措施。

Oxoid检测方法不需要有活力微生物的出现，在样品中如果有可检测水平的抗原就可以出现阳性结果。除了儿童和成人脑膜炎之外，这种检测方法能够用于检测新生儿败血症，鉴别主要的和潜在的致命细菌种系。

除了供应这些明确菌种的单独检测试剂盒之外，还有联合检测试剂盒可以检测导致脑膜炎的5种主要细菌。每一个检测试剂盒包含供30次检测的试剂，包括包括对照和检测乳胶试剂、阳性和阴性对照、搅拌小棍和吸液管。
 
Rapid Tests for Meningitis
 
Rapid diagnostic tests can detect the major causes of serious bacteria meningitis in body fluids, such as serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), within half an hour.

This Wellcogen range of tests is available from Oxoid (Basingstoke, UK). The latex agglutination tests can provide first-line confirmation of an acute infection of bacterial meningitis in as little as 10 minutes for CSF, slightly longer for serum because of the time needed for blood to clot. This gives guidance to doctors, pending the results of culture investigations, and allows appropriate treatment to be initiated immediately.

The severity of bacterial meningitis and its ability to spread in certain situations was highlighted in China, where an outbreak affected more than 250 people and resulted in at least 16 deaths in January 2005. Authorities there acknowledged that prompt reporting of infection was among the most important measures required to address that outbreak.

The Oxoid tests do not require the presence of viable organisms and can provide a positive result if there is a detectable level of antigen in the sample. The tests can be used to detect neonatal sepsis in addition to childhood and adult meningitis, identifying the main, potentially fatal bacterial strains.

In addition to the separate kits available for each of these significant strains, a combined kit is available for the detection of all five major strains that cause meningitis. Each test kit contains sufficient materials for 30 tests, including control and test latex reagents, positive and negative controls, mixing sticks, and pipettes.