Microbiological diagnosis of pleural infections: a comparative evaluation of a novel syndromic real-time PCR panel.

ABSTRACT: Current microbial diagnostics for pleural infections are insufficient. Studies using 16S targeted next-generation sequencing report that only 10%-16% of bacteria present are cultured and that 50%-78% of pleural fluids containing relevant microbial DNA remain culture negative. As a rapid diagnostic alternative suitable for clinical laboratories, we wanted to explore a PCR-based approach. Based on the identification of key pathogens, we developed a syndromic PCR panel for community-acquired pleural infections (CAPIs). This was a pragmatic PCR panel, meaning that it was not designed for detecting all possibly involved bacterial species but for confirming the diagnosis of CAPI, and for detecting bacteria that might influence choice of antimicrobial treatment. We evaluated the PCR panel on 109

SUBMITTER: Kommedal O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11237507 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature