Table of Contents
- Overview
- Results
- Risks
- Prevention
The latex agglutination test is a laboratory method to check for certain
How the test is performed
The test depends on what type of sample is needed.
- For a urine sample, see
urine collection -- clean catch orurine collection (infants) . - For a blood sample, see
venipuncture . - For a cerebrospinal fluid sample, see
CSF collection .
The sample is sent to a lab, where it is mixed with latex beads coated with a specific antibody or antigen. If the suspected substance is present, the latex beads will clump together (agglutinate).
For example, if your health care provider suspects that your child has
Latex agglutination results take about 15 minutes to an hour.
How to prepare for the test
Your health care provider may tell you to limit certain foods or medications shortly before the test to ensure accurate test results.
How the test will feel
How the test feels depends on how the sample is collected.
Why the test is performed
This test is a quick way to determine the absence or presence of an antigen or antibody. Your health care provider will base any treatment decisions, at least in part, on the results of this test.
Review Date: 08/11/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
