RAPID DETECTION OF ROTAVIRUS IN FAECES BY A SLIDE LATEX AGGLUTINATION TEST AS COMPARED WITH AN ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY

A commercial latex agglutination slide test for rotavirus detection (RotascreenR) was compared with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in a hospital setting using 225 patients, 6-24 months of age, who came with clinical symptoms suggestive of rotavirus diarrhoea. Of 225 specimens 120 (53%) were found positive with the ELISA compared with only 69 (31%) using the Rotascreen. Twelve specimens gave equivocal results with Rotascreen, 2 of which were positive and the remaining 10 were negative using the ELISA. Excluding the results of these 12 specimens by both the assays, the Rotascreen showed a specificity of 95% and sensitivity of 54%, in comparison with results in the ELISA. Rotascreen is a rapid and simple test with a satisfactory specificity but a low sensitivity.