Evaluation of an antigen-capture enzyme immunoassay for rapid diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.

A new enzyme immunoassay (EIA; Enzygost) for rapid detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae antigen was evaluated in 51 young adults with acute respiratory infection. The EIA results using sputa and nasopharyngeal aspirates were compared with those of serological antibody tests, culture and a DNA probe. In sputum the sensitivity of the EIA ranged from 40% to 81% and the specificity from 64% to 100%, depending on the reference method. In nasopharyngeal aspirates the sensitivity was well below 20%, but the test was nearly 100% specific.