EVALUATION OF SLIDE-LATEX AGGLUTINATION AND INTRADERMAL (CASONI) TESTS FOR ECHINOCOCCOSIS

Abstract

Patients (51) with surgically proven hydatid disease in Iran were examined with the intradermal (ID) (Casoni) and latex-agglutination (LA) tests. Before surgery, results of the former test were 80.4% positive and of the latter were 82.3%. For 105 persons diagnosed free of hydatid cysts by surgical, clinical and serological observations, 6.7% were positive with the ID test and 4.8% with the LA test. The close agreement between results obtained with LA and ID tests in this selected group of patients suggests that the LA test merits further evaluation as a diagnostic tool.