Infantile Case of Bacterial Meningitis Due to Nonvaccine Serotype Streptococcus Pneumoniae that Showed False Positive for Haemophilus Influenzae Type b by Latex Particle Agglutination Test

Abstract

We describe the case of an 8-month-old girl with bacterial meningitis. We diagnosed her with meningitis, and she was admitted to our hospital with symptoms of fever and poor general condition. The latex particle agglutination test (LPAT) was positive for Haemophilus influenzae type b, but blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture showed only Streptococcus pneumoniae. The LPAT has the advantages of producing results earlier than traditional CSF culture and being easy to perform, but it may provide false positives. It is suggested that we need to understand the advantage and disadvantage of each test and interpret the results.