Validation of a new Rapid Detection Test for the detection of Neisseria meningitidis A/C/W/X/Y antigens in cerebrospinal fluid

Meningococcal meningitis remains a life-threatening disease worldwide, with high prevalence in the sub-Saharan meningitis belt. A rapid diagnosis is crucial for implementing adapted antimicrobial treatment. We describe the performances of a new immunochromatographic test (MeningoSpeed, Biospeedia, France) for detecting and grouping Neisseria meningitidis. Cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) were collected from 5 African countries and France. For the rapid diagnostic test (RDT), the CSF sample was deposited on each of the 3 cassettes for a total volume of 90 μl. The results of the RDT were compared to those of a reference multiplex PCR assay detecting the major serogroups of N. meningitidis on 560 CSF specimens. Five specimens were found uninterpretable by RDT (0.9%). The results of interpretable specimens were as follows: 305 positive and 212 negative samples by both techniques, 14 positive by PCR only and 24 positive by RDT only (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 92.7%, 93.8%, 95.6% and 89.8%, respectively, with an accuracy of 93.2% and a kappa test of 0.89, P