English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Zendy Open

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Insights

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Zendy Tools

Zendy Plus

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Faden et al. recently reported the use of the NOW immu- nochromatographic test to rapidly detect nasopharyngeal col- onization with Streptococcus pneumoniae (1). While the spec- ificity of the test in this study was relatively high (97.7%), it is important to be aware that oropharyngeal colonizing bacteria other than S. pneumoniae may also produce positive results with this test. Specifically, Streptococcus mitis shares the anti- gen against which the NOW test is directed. This cross-reac- tion is recorded by the manufacturer in the product instruc- tions and is supported by the findings from our own research. We noted a relatively high rate of positive results when evaluating the NOW test as an alternative method for rapidly identifying S. pneumoniae isolates. We tested 96 S. pneumoniae isolates and 83 alpha-hemolytic nonpneumococcal streptococ- cal isolates obtained mainly from blood cultures and respira- tory samples. All S. pneumoniae isolates were positive by the NOW test, as well as 20 of the nonpneumococcal isolates. The latter isolates were all bile insoluble and optochin resistant and were identified to species level by the API 20 Strep identifica- tion system (bioMerieux Vitek, Inc., Hazelwood, Mo.), supple- mented by conventional test procedures. Eighteen of these isolates were identified as belonging to the S. mitis group, and the remaining two isolates were identified as Gemella morbil- lorum and Gemella haemolysans. When the NOW test is used to detect S. pneumoniae antigen in urine from patients with pneumonia, this cross-reaction with S. mitis is unlikely to be important. In contrast, anyone using the NOW test to detect nasopharyngeal colonization should be aware of this possible source of false-positive results. Indeed, it is perhaps surprising that the false-positive rate was not higher in the study by Faden et al.

Immunochromatographic Test for Rapid Detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the Nasopharynx