Gas liquid chromatography in the rapid diagnosis of meningitis.

Ferguson, I. R.; Tearle, P

doi:10.1136/jcp.30.12.1163

Cited by 18 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 11 publications

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“…In addition to specific microbiological tests, unspecific CSF tests are widely accepted for the differential diagnosis of meningitis. Measurement of lactate (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18) and CRP (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) in the CSF, however, is easy to perform and has repeatedly been found useful in differentiating bacterial meningitis from viral meningitis. In addition, several other CSF tests have been evaluated in the diagnosis of meningitis such as the limulus lysate assay (4) and nitroblue tetrazolium test (5), and determination of chloride (3), lactate dehydrogenase (6), total amino acid (7), lactate and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Value of cerebrospinal fluid analysis in the differential diagnosis of meningitis: A study in 710 patients with suspected central nervous system infection

Lindquist

Linné

Hansson

et al. 1988

Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis.

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A prospective study to determine the value of cerebrospinal fluid analysis in the differential diagnosis of meningitis was performed in 710 consecutively observed patients, both children and adults, who underwent lumbar puncture due to suspected central nervous system infection. Diagnoses included acute or presumed bacterial meningitis (n = 79), acute or presumed viral meningoencephalitis (n = 218), acute unclassified meningitis (n = 6), other infections of the central nervous system (n = 37), non-infectious neurological diseases (n = 76) and control patients (n = 294). The sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were determined for cerebrospinal fluid white blood cell count, total protein, lactate, glucose and C-reactive protein levels as well as the blood/cerebrospinal fluid glucose ratio. Determination of cerebrospinal fluid levels of lactate (greater than or equal to 3.5 mmol/l) was found to be superior to the other tests. The C-reactive protein level gave no additional diagnostic information when the lactate level was determined. The white blood cell count, and total protein and glucose levels were often unreliable tools for differential diagnosis, largely due to low sensitivity at realistic discriminatory limits. The study confirms that no cerebrospinal fluid test is fully reliable in distinguishing bacterial meningitis from other forms of meningitis.

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