The following is a summary of “Utilizing metagenomic next-generation sequencing for pathogen detection and diagnosis in lower respiratory tract infections in real-world clinical practice,” published in the February 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Lv et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the potential clinical utility of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in identifying pathogens for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), especially challenging-to-culture organisms, compared to conventional microbiology tests (CMTs).

They analyzed 205 clinical samples collected from 201 patients suspected of having LRTIs, employing mNGS alongside CMTs. MNGS findings informed treatment adjustments in cases with negative CMT results, followed by assessing treatment efficacy in these individuals.

The results showed that mNGS detected microorganisms in 91.7% (188/205) of the clinical samples, while CMTs detected microorganisms in only 37.6% (77/205). Compared to CMTs, mNGS exhibited a detection sensitivity of 93.5% in all 205 clinical samples and 95.4% in 180 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples. Among the patients with negative CMT results (114/201; 56.7%), treatment adjustments guided by positive mNGS results were administered to 92 patients. Notably, 67.4% (62/92) of patients demonstrated effective treatment, while 25% (23/92) experienced a stabilized condition. Subgroup analysis focusing on cancer patients revealed that 41.9% (13/31) responded effectively to treatment, and 35.5% (11/31) maintained a stable condition following medication adjustments guided by mNGS.

Investigators concluded that compared to traditional methods, mNGS offers fast and accurate identification of clinically relevant microbes in LRTIs, even after antibiotic use, and makes it a powerful tool for improving diagnosis and guiding treatment decisions in clinical settings.

Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s15010-024-02185-1