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Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1983 Nov;18(5):1127–1130. doi: 10.1128/jcm.18.5.1127-1130.1983

Comparison of three commercial cryptococcal latex kits for detection of cryptococcal antigen.

T C Wu, S Y Koo
PMCID: PMC272854  PMID: 6643665

Abstract

Three commercial latex kits, IBL, MYCO-Immune, and IMMY, for the detection of cryptococcal antigen were compared in regard to sensitivity, specificity, and height of antigen titers. A total of 218 cerebrospinal fluid and 79 serum specimens from 239 patients were included. Twenty-two patients had culture-proven disseminated cryptococcosis. Both the IBL and MYCO-Immune kits had sensitivities of 100%, and the IMMY kit had sensitivities of 82.6 and 45.4% in CSF and serum specimens, respectively. There was one false-positive reaction in serum with the MYCO-Immune kit and one false-negative reaction on screen only with all three kits. Rheumatoid factor-containing sera were used to check the agglutination titers between matching anti-cryptococcal globulin reagents and normal globulin reagents. The finding that agglutination titer with anti-cryptococcal globulin reagents was fourfold higher than with normal globulin reagents in the MYCO-Immune kit is considered to be a cause for a false-positive reaction in serum.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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