快速診斷檢測方法能夠在體液中檢測嚴重細菌性腦膜炎的主要致病原因，例如在血清和腦脊液（CSF）中，只需要1小時。

這種Wellcogen范圍的檢測方法是由Oxoid公司提供的。這種乳膠凝集檢測方法能夠在不到10分鐘的時間內，提供CSF的急性細菌性腦膜炎第一線的確診資料，血清檢測需要的時間則稍微長一些，因為血液需要時間凝集。這就為醫生提供了指南，在尚未得到細菌培養的結果的情況下，就可以立即開始合適的治療方案。

細菌性腦膜炎的嚴重程度以及特定條件下產生擴散的能力，在中國尤其突出，2005年1月的一次爆發即影響250多人并導致至少16人死亡。權威機構認為對及時報告感染情況是控制爆發的最重要措施。

Oxoid檢測方法不需要有活力微生物的出現，在樣品中如果有可檢測水平的抗原就可以出現陽性結果。除了兒童和成人腦膜炎之外，這種檢測方法能夠用于檢測新生兒敗血癥，鑒別主要的和潛在的致命細菌種系。

除了供應這些明確菌種的單獨檢測試劑盒之外，還有聯合檢測試劑盒可以檢測導致腦膜炎的5種主要細菌。每一個檢測試劑盒包含供30次檢測的試劑，包括包括對照和檢測乳膠試劑、陽性和陰性對照、攪拌小棍和吸液管。
 
Rapid Tests for Meningitis
 
Rapid diagnostic tests can detect the major causes of serious bacteria meningitis in body fluids, such as serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), within half an hour.

This Wellcogen range of tests is available from Oxoid (Basingstoke, UK). The latex agglutination tests can provide first-line confirmation of an acute infection of bacterial meningitis in as little as 10 minutes for CSF, slightly longer for serum because of the time needed for blood to clot. This gives guidance to doctors, pending the results of culture investigations, and allows appropriate treatment to be initiated immediately.

The severity of bacterial meningitis and its ability to spread in certain situations was highlighted in China, where an outbreak affected more than 250 people and resulted in at least 16 deaths in January 2005. Authorities there acknowledged that prompt reporting of infection was among the most important measures required to address that outbreak.

The Oxoid tests do not require the presence of viable organisms and can provide a positive result if there is a detectable level of antigen in the sample. The tests can be used to detect neonatal sepsis in addition to childhood and adult meningitis, identifying the main, potentially fatal bacterial strains.

In addition to the separate kits available for each of these significant strains, a combined kit is available for the detection of all five major strains that cause meningitis. Each test kit contains sufficient materials for 30 tests, including control and test latex reagents, positive and negative controls, mixing sticks, and pipettes.