Explore how metagenomic next-generation sequencing revolutionizes pathogen detection in lower respiratory tract infections, enhancing diagnosis accuracy in clinical settings.
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Utilizing metagenomic next-generation sequencing for pathogen detection and diagnosis in lower respiratory tract infections in real-world clinical practice.
Lv et al., Infection 2024
<!– DOI: 10.1007/s15010-024-02185-1 //–>
https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-024-02185-1
This study highlights the effectiveness of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) over conventional microbiology tests (CMTs) in diagnosing lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs). Analyzing 205 clinical samples from 201 patients, mNGS identified microorganisms in 91.7% of cases, significantly outperforming CMTs, which only detected pathogens in 37.6%. Particularly, mNGS showed a high detection sensitivity of 93.5% across all samples and 95.4% in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples. For patients with negative CMT results (56.7% of cases), mNGS-guided treatment adjustments led to 67.4% showing effective treatment outcomes, and 25% experiencing stabilized conditions. Among cancer patients, 41.9% responded effectively to mNGS-guided treatment adjustments, with 35.5% maintaining stability. This study underscores mNGS’s potential as a comprehensive, rapid diagnostic tool for LRTIs, especially for identifying difficult-to-culture organisms, thereby enhancing treatment decision-making in clinical practice.