Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30641227›Full record

Trial reportClinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases2019

Accuracy of comprehensive PCR analysis of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs for CT-scan-confirmed pneumonia in elderly patients: a prospective cohort study.

V Prendki, B Huttner, C Marti, A Mamin, P E Fubini, M P Meynet, M Scheffler, X Montet, J P Janssens, J L Reny and 3 more

Registry-linked trialOpen access · bronzeAbstract readClinical TrialComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02467192 (The Place of Imaging and Microbiology in the Diagnosis of Pneumonia in the Elderly), which is not on this map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02467192 nacompletednot on this map

The Place of Imaging and Microbiology in the Diagnosis of Pneumonia in the Elderly: PneumOldCT

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity Hospital, GenevaRan2015 to 2017Enrolled203ConditionsPneumoniaArmsLow dose CT
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. PCR sensitivity forJournal of clinical microbiology · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Observational
  6. Article
  7. Community-acquired bacterial pneumonia in adults: An update.The Indian journal of medical research · 2020
    Review
  8. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

V Prendki()) Division of Internal Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland; ()) Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: virginie.prendki@hcuge.ch.
B Huttner()) Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland; ()) Division of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
C Marti()) Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
A Mamin()) Division of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
P E Fubini()) Division of Internal Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland; ()) Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
M P Meynet()) Division of Internal Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
M Scheffler()) Department of Radiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
X Montet()) Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland; ()) Department of Radiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
J P Janssens()) Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland; ()) Department of Pneumology, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
J L Reny()) Division of Internal Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland; ()) Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland; ()) Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
L Kaiser()) Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland; ()) Division of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
N Garin()) Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland; ()) Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland; ()) Department of General Internal Medicine, Riviera Chablais Hospitals,Monthey, Switzerland.
J Stirnemann()) Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland; ()) Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
University Hospital of Geneva · CHUniversity of Geneva · CHHôpital Riviera-Chablais · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesWe aimed to assess the accuracy of PCR detection of viruses and bacteria on nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs (NPS) for the diagnosis of pneumonia in elderly individuals.

methodsWe included consecutive hospitalized elderly individuals suspected of having pneumonia. At inclusion, NPS were collected from all participants and tested by PCR for the presence of viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens (index test, defined as comprehensive molecular testing). Routine diagnostic tests (blood and sputum culture, urine antigen detection) were also performed. The reference standard was the presence of pneumonia on a low-dose CT scan as assessed by two independent expert radiologists.

resultsThe diagnosis of pneumonia was confirmed in 127 of 199 (64%) included patients (mean age 83 years, community-acquired pneumonia in 105 (83%)). A pathogen was identified by comprehensive molecular testing in 114 patients (57%) and by routine methods in 22 (11%). Comprehensive molecular testing was positive for viruses in 62 patients (31%) and for bacteria in 73 (37%). The sensitivity and specificity were 61% (95% CI 53%-69%) and 50% (95% CI 39%-61%) for comprehensive molecular testing, and 14% (95% CI 82%-21%) and 94% (95% CI 86%-98%) for routine testing, respectively. Positive likelihood ratio was 2.55 for routine methods and 1.23 for comprehensive molecular testing.

conclusionComprehensive molecular testing of NPS increases the number of pathogens detected compared with routine methods, but results are poorly predictive of the presence of pneumonia. Hence, comprehensive molecular testing is unlikely to impact clinical decision-making (NCT02467192). CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT02467192.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overCohort StudiesDiagnostic Tests, RoutineHumansMicrobiological TechniquesPharynxPneumoniaPolymerase Chain ReactionProspective StudiesSensitivity and SpecificityTomography, X-Ray ComputedDiagnosisElderly patientsLow-dose CT scanMultiplex PCRNasopharyngeal swabsPneumonia

Identifiers

PMID30641227
PMCPMC7172172
OpenAlexW2910836309

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.