The knowledge of purulent meningitis etiology is essential in deciding the immediate therapy; in developing countries, however, the etiological agent identification does not reach 60% of the cases. A comparative study using the latex particle agglutination test (LPAT) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for the diagnosis of meningitis due to Haemophilus influenzae type b, Streptococcus pneumoniae or Neisseria meningitidis A and C was carried out in Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil. CSF culture was used as a gold-standard. Two hundred and ninety-nine children, ranging from 3 months to 14 years of age, were included in the investigation. One hundred and forty-four presented a positive CSF culture for the above mentioned bacteria; the remaining presented meningitis due to other organisms (other bacteria or viral) or a normal CSF. The sensitivity and the specificity of LPAT was 95.7 and 100.0% for N. meningitidis C, 95.2 and 100.0% for H. influenzae type b and 86.5 and 100.0% for S. pneumoniae, respectively. When all three organisms were considered simultaneously, the sensitivity and the specificity was 93.0 and 100.0%, respectively. Taking into consideration a realistic estimate of disease prevalence in the community where the diagnostic test is being used, the positive predictive value and the posttest probability were estimated as 36.7 and 47.1% for children < 5 years and as 21.3 and 35.1% for children < 14 years of age, respectively. LPAT is a useful diagnostic test for meningitis due to the studied pathogens, especially in developing countries where laboratory facilities are limited.