Optical immunoassay test for group A β-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis: An office-based, multicenter investigation

Michael A. Gerber*, Robert R. Tanz, William Kabat, Elizabeth Dennis, Gillian L. Bell, Edward L. Kaplan, Stanford T. Shulman

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

97 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective. - To compare the accuracy of an optical immunoassay (OIA) for the rapid diagnosis of group A streptococcal pharyngitis with blood agar plate (BAP) culture. Design. - Blinded comparison with criterion standard. Setting. - A total of 6 private pediatricians' offices, 3 in Connecticut and 3 in Chicago, Ill. Patients. - A total of 2113 consecutive patients with acute pharyngitis, 983 in Connecticut and 1130 in Chicago. Main Outcome Measures. - The sensitivities and specificities of OIA and BAP culture (both performed and interpreted in the office) were determined using a research laboratory's interpretation of a combination of BAP culture and Todd-Hewitt broth (THB) culture of transport tube pledger as criterion standard. Results. - Among patients in Connecticut, the sensitivities of the OIA and BAP culture were 94% and 89%, respectively (P=.004), while the specificities were 96% and 99%, respectively (P=.001). Among patients in Chicago, the sensitivities of the OIA and BAP culture were 79% and 72%, respectively (P<.001) while the specificities were 89% and 99%, respectively (P<.001). In each of the 6 pediatricians' offices, the OIA was more sensitive than the BAP culture. Combining the data from Connecticut and Chicago, the overall sensitivities of the OIA and BAP culture were 84% and 78%, respectively (P<.001), while the specificities were 93% and 99%, respectively (P<.001). Conclusions. - The results of this comprehensive office-based investigation suggest that with adequately trained personnel, negative OIA test results may not always need to be routinely confirmed with BAP cultures.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)899-903
Number of pages5
JournalJAMA
Volume277
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 19 1997

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Optical immunoassay test for group A β-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis: An office-based, multicenter investigation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this