Assessment testing of Streptococcus pneumoniae Binax NOW ® ICT from blood cultures in children with invasive bacterial infections in Bamako, Mali

Abstract

PURPOSE OF WORK: The aim of our study was to evaluate the testing of Streptococcus pneumoniae Binax NOW® ICT from blood cultures in children with invasive bacterial infections in Bamako, Mali. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We recruited 382 children under 16 years hospitalized or treated as outpatients. The venous blood samples were collected from all the children in a sterile manner inoculated into blood culture bottles, transported to the laboratory and placed in automated growth machine called BACTECTM 9050. All broths of vials BACTEC (gold standard) that have grown on the usual agar, were subject to testing of Streptococcus pneumoniae Binax NOW® ICT, including also the negative vials BACTEC (for possibility of false positives). RESULTS: Of 382 children, 192 (50.2%) were aged 0 to 11 months, 225 (58.9%) were male. Of 382 blood cultures, 185 (48.4%) were positive, on these 185 positive, 75 (40.5%) were Streptococcus pneumoniae. All 382 blood cultures were detected by the Binax NOW® ICT, 75 (19.6%) were positive. In our study, the assessment analysis showed that the Binax NOW® ICT has sensitivity and a specificity of 100%. CONCLUSION: After assessment of the Binax NOW® ICT on CSF and urine in previous studies, we can say that this test is also effective in the detection of pneumococcal antigen in blood cultures as evidenced by the results of our study. However, we recommend the use of Binax NOW® ICT in the rapid diagnosis of pneumococcal infections and a future evaluation in large sample size.