NOW

OB/GYN News, Oct 15, 1999 by Elizabeth Mechcatie

(Streptococcus pneumoniae urinary antigen test, Binax)

A rapid urine test for detecting S. pneumoniae, the first such test.

* Recommended Usage: Results available within 15 minutes of dropping a reagent on a swab dipped in urine.

* Special Considerations: Positive results confirmed with culture.

* Comment: In a study of 215 patients with typical pneumonia symptoms, the test's sensitivity was 90% and specificity was 78%, according to Binax. This is "a great test in a number of ways," according to Dr. Victor Yu, professor of medicine, University of Pittsburgh. It is simple to perform and eliminates the need to wait 2-3 days for results of sputum or blood cultures, he noted. Physicians who get a positive result can then target antibiotic therapy immediately by prescribing a narrow-spectrum antibiotic, reducing the risk of resistant organisms, he noted.

Moreover, many patients can't produce a good sputum sample, and blood culture is "at best" positive in only 30% of pneumococcal pneumonia cases. The test will also be useful in "suboptimal" situations, such as unconscious patients, who can be catheterized for a urine sample, said Dr. Yu. Binax supplied test kits for a study he did; he has no financial ties to the company.