Pathogen Identification by Multiplex LightMix Real-Time PCR Assay in Patients with Meningitis and Culture-Negative Cerebrospinal Fluid Specimens.

ABSTRACT: Acute bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency, and delays in initiating effective antimicrobial therapy result in increased morbidity and mortality. Culture-based methods, thus far considered the "gold standard" for identifying bacterial microorganisms, require 24 to 48 h to provide a diagnosis. In addition, antimicrobial therapy is often started prior to clinical sample collection, thereby decreasing the probability of confirming the bacterial pathogen by culture-based methods. To enable a fast and accurate detection of the most important bacterial pathogens causing meningitis, namely, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Listeria monocytogenes, we evaluated a commercially available multiplex LightMix real-time PCR (RT

SUBMITTER: Wagner K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5786711 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature