Field Evaluation of the Performance of Two Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Meningitis in Niger and Burkina Faso

New lateral flow tests for the diagnosis of Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) (serogroups A, C, W, X, and Y), MeningoSpeed, and Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp), PneumoSpeed, developed to support rapid outbreak detection in Africa, have shown good performance under laboratory conditions. We conducted an independent evaluation of both tests under field conditions in Burkina Faso and Niger, in 2018-2019. The tests were performed in the cerebrospinal fluid of suspected meningitis cases from health centers in alert districts and compared to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction tests performed at national reference laboratories (NRLs). Health staff were interviewed about feasibility. A total of 327 cases were tested at the NRLs, with 26% confirmed Nm (NmC 63% and NmX 37%) and 8% Sp. Sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 95% (95% CI: 89-99) and 90% (95% CI: 86-94) for Nm and 92% (95% CI: 75-99) and 99% (95% CI: 97-100) for Sp. Positive and negative predictive values were, respectively, 77% (95% CI: 68-85) and 98% (95% CI: 95-100) for Nm and 86% (95% CI: 67-96) and 99% (95% CI: 98-100) for Sp. Concordance showed 82% agreement for Nm and 97% for Sp. Interviewed staff evaluated the tests as easy to use and to interpret and were confident in their readings. Results suggest overall good performance of both tests and potential usefulness in meningitis outbreak detection.

Automated summary

New lateral flow tests for the diagnosis of Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) have shown good performance under laboratory conditions, with an independent evaluation conducted in Burkina Faso and Niger showing overall good performance in detecting meningitis outbreaks.