ArticleBMC infectious diseases2020
Towards accurate exclusion of neonatal bacterial meningitis: a feasibility study of a novel 16S rDNA PCR assay.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Molecular assays for the diagnosis of sepsis in neonates: a diagnostic test accuracy review.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Improved Diagnostics in Bacterial Neonatal Meningitis Using a Next-Generation Sequencing Platform.Infectious diseases and therapy · 2023Article
- Spatial and temporal variation of routine parameters: pitfalls in the cerebrospinal fluid analysis in central nervous system infections.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2022Review
- Determining the Clinical Utility of 16S rRNA Sequencing in the Management of Culture-Negative Pediatric Infections.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPCRctic is an innovative assay based on 16S rDNA PCR technology that has been designed to detect a single intact bacterium in a specimen of cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF). The assay's potential for accurate, fast and inexpensive discrimination of bacteria-free CSF makes it an ideal adjunct for confident exclusion of bacterial meningitis in newborn babies where the negative predictive value of bacterial culture is poor. This study aimed to stress-test and optimize PCRctic in the "field conditions" to attain a clinically useful level of specificity.
methodsThe specificity of PCRctic was evaluated in CSF obtained from newborn babies investigated for meningitis on a tertiary neonatal unit. Following an interim analysis, the method of skin antisepsis was changed to increase bactericidal effect, and snap-top tubes (Eppendorf™) replaced standard universal containers for collection of CSF to reduce environmental contamination.
resultsThe assay's specificity was 90.5% in CSF collected into the snap-top tubes - up from 60% in CSF in the universal containers. The method of skin antisepsis had no effect on the specificity. All CSF cultures were negative and no clinical cases of neonatal bacterial meningitis occurred during the study.
conclusionsA simple and inexpensive optimization of CSF collection resulted in a high specificity output. The low prevalence of neonatal bacterial meningitis means that a large multi-centre study will be required to validate the assay's sensitivity and its negative predictive value.
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