Biomaterial Database

Use of Limulus lysate for detecting gram-negative neonatal meningitis. 1976

D Dyson, and G Cassady

The Limulus lysate test was evaluated as a method for rapid detection of neonatal gram-negative bacterial meningitis. A total of 208 CSF samples were collected from 145 newborn infants suspected of having meningitis. Initial samples from all six babies with culture-proven gram-negative bacterial meningitis had positive Limulus tests within 30 minutes of incubation. Samples from 14 infants with gram-negative organisms isolated only in blood and/or urine as well as from four neonates with gram-positive organisms in CSF cultures and from 13 with gram-positive organisms in blood cultures all yielded negative Limulus tests. Thus, of 37 newborn infants with bacteria demonstrated in systemic cultures, only those six with gram-negative organisms in CSF had positive CSF Limulus tests. The CSF Limulus test was shown to be a rapid, reliable, and specific test for the detection on neonatal gram-negative bacterial meningitis.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D007232	Infant, Newborn, Diseases	Diseases of newborn infants present at birth (congenital) or developing within the first month of birth. It does not include hereditary diseases not manifesting at birth or within the first 30 days of life nor does it include inborn errors of metabolism. Both HEREDITARY DISEASES and METABOLISM, INBORN ERRORS are available as general concepts.	Neonatal Diseases,Disease, Neonatal,Diseases, Neonatal,Neonatal Disease
D008581	Meningitis	Inflammation of the coverings of the brain and/or spinal cord, which consist of the PIA MATER; ARACHNOID; and DURA MATER. Infections (viral, bacterial, and fungal) are the most common causes of this condition, but subarachnoid hemorrhage (HEMORRHAGES, SUBARACHNOID), chemical irritation (chemical MENINGITIS), granulomatous conditions, neoplastic conditions (CARCINOMATOUS MENINGITIS), and other inflammatory conditions may produce this syndrome. (From Joynt, Clinical Neurology, 1994, Ch24, p6)	Pachymeningitis,Meningitides,Pachymeningitides
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001097	Arachnida	A class of Arthropoda that includes SPIDERS; TICKS; MITES; and SCORPIONS.	Arachnids,Arachnid,Arachnidas
D001419	Bacteria	One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive.	Eubacteria
D001431	Bacteriological Techniques	Techniques used in studying bacteria.	Bacteriologic Technic,Bacteriologic Technics,Bacteriologic Techniques,Bacteriological Technique,Technic, Bacteriological,Technics, Bacteriological,Technique, Bacteriological,Techniques, Bacteriological,Bacteriologic Technique,Bacteriological Technic,Bacteriological Technics,Technic, Bacteriologic,Technics, Bacteriologic,Technique, Bacteriologic,Techniques, Bacteriologic