Cerebrospinal Fluid Bacterial Antigen

Comparison of BAT and Gram Stain

May 2010

Results of bacterial antigen testing and Gram stain were compared. Of the 42 identified cases, 26 were positive by both the bacterial antigen test and Gram stain, 3 were positive by the bacterial antigen test but negative by Gram stain, 11 were positive by Gram stain but negative by the bacterial antigen test , and 2 were negative by both methods. The results of the bacterial antigen test and Gram stain were not statistically significantly different from one another (p = 0.64, Fisher's exact test). We demonstrated that the bacterial antigen test did not offer statistically significant sensitivity improvement compared to Gram stain for detection of classic bacterial meningitis organisms. In the 3 cases in which bacterial antigen test was positive and Gram stain was negative, culture was also positive, rendering bacterial antigen testing redundant. None of the culture-negative cases were missed by Gram stain.

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Jump to section:

• Introduction
• Bacterial Antigen Test (BAT)
• Bacterial Antigen Test (BAT)
• Study Overview
• Study Methods
• Study Methods
• Comparison of BAT and Gram Stain
• Cases With and Without Classic Bacterial Meningitis-Causing Organisms and Number Missed by BAT and Gram Stain
• Results
• Studies by Other Investigators
• Studies by Other Investigators
• Conclusions
• Acknowledgments
• References
• References
• Questions?