Development of a Latex Agglutination Method for Diagnosis of Rotavirus Infections

Background: Rotavirus is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children with gastroenteritis. Since the discovery of rotaviruses, several techniques have been used for their laboratory diagnosis; those included Electron Microscopy (EM) and enzyme immunoassay. These methods, however, are expensive and not readily available everywhere. We have developed a technique which can be used for routine diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis. Methods: Purified simian rotavirus, SA11, was injected into rabbits and the γ-globulin fraction of antisera was purified and used for coating of latex beads. The prepared sensitizied latex was then used for agglutination test on fecal samples. 94 stool samples from infants with acute gastroenteritis were tested by (EM), enzyme immunoassay and Latex Agglutination (LA) method. Results: The sensitivity of enzyme immune assay and (LA) were 92.5% and 90%, respectively; the specificity of both tests was 98.1% as compared with (EM). Conclusion: Latex Agglutination Test (LAT) is a simple and relatively inexpensive test which can be used for diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis in diagnostic laboratories and health centers.