A 15-year-old male is rushed to the emergency room with a temperature of 103degF, severe headache, and stiff neck. Upon physical examination, a petechial rash is observed all over his body. Suspecting meningitis, the physician orders a lumbar puncture, revealing gram-negative diplococci (Neisseria meningitidis) on Gram stain. The physician wishes to use a more sensitive test to confirm this as the causative agent. Which of the following tests combines features of gel diffusion and immune-electrophoresis and is applicable only to negatively charged antigens?
Coagglutination (COA) Counter immuno-electrophoresis (CIE) Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) Latex agglutination (LA)