ArticleBMC infectious diseases2023
Comparison of bacterial culture with BioFire® FilmArray® multiplex PCR screening of archived cerebrospinal fluid specimens from children with suspected bacterial meningitis in Nigeria.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- The Integration of Multiplex PCR Panel in the Management of Acute Bacterial Meningitis: A Mixed-Methods Study.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Clinical utility of a cerebrospinal fluid multiplex PCR meningitis/encephalitis panel in children: a retrospective review of positive results.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Faster Results, Better Care? Impact of Meningitis/Encephalitis Syndromic Panel Testing on Pathogen Detection and Hospital Outcomes Beyond CSF Culture: A Literature Search for Diagnosticians.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Real-World Evaluation of the BioFire FilmArray ME Panel: Diagnostic Accuracy and Clinical Utility.The Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale · 2026Article
- Meningitis diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes in rural, northern Uganda: 2015-2024.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Relapsing Salmonella Meningitis in an Infant: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.Case reports in pediatrics · 2026Article
- Does cerebrospinal fluid multiplex polymerase chain reaction meningitis panel help manage children with meningitis?Research square · 2025Article
- Observational quality control study: insourcing multi-PCR-impact on the use of anti-infectives for patients with pleocytosis.Neurological research and practice · 2025Article
- Clinical utility of the FilmArray® meningitis/encephalitis panel in children with suspected central nervous system infection in a low-resource setting - a prospective study in Southwestern Uganda.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Observational
- Current methods in the diagnosis of invasive meningococcal disease.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Review
- Clinical value of heparin-binding protein in adult bacterial intracranial infection.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDiagnosis of bacterial meningitis remains a challenge in most developing countries due to low yield from bacterial culture, widespread use of non-prescription antibiotics, and weak microbiology laboratories. The objective of this study was to compare the yield from standard bacterial culture with the multiplex nested PCR platform, the BioFire® FilmArray® Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel (BioFire ME Panel), for cases with suspected acute bacterial meningitis.
methodsFollowing Gram stain and bacterial culture on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collected from children aged less than 5 years with a clinical suspicion of acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) as defined by the WHO guidelines, residual CSF specimens were frozen and later tested by BioFire ME Panel.
resultsA total of 400 samples were analyzed. Thirty-two [32/400 (8%)] of the specimens were culture positive, consisting of; three Salmonella spp. (2 Typhi and 1 non-typhi), three alpha hemolytic Streptococcus, one Staphylococcus aureus, six Neisseria meningitidis, seven Hemophilus influenzae, 11 Streptococcus pneumoniae and 368 were culture negative. Of the 368 culture-negative specimens, the BioFire ME Panel detected at least one bacterial pathogen in 90 (24.5%) samples, consisting of S. pneumoniae, N. meningitidis and H. influenzae, predominantly. All culture positive specimens for H. influenzae, N. meningitidis and S. pneumoniae also tested positive with the BioFire ME Panel. In addition, 12 specimens had mixed bacterial pathogens identified. For the first time in this setting, we have data on the viral agents associated with meningitis. Single viral agents were detected in 11 (2.8%) samples while co-detections with bacterial agents or other viruses occurred in 23 (5.8%) of the samples.
conclusionsThe BioFire® ME Panel was more sensitive and rapid than culture for detecting bacterial pathogens in CSF. The BioFire® ME Panel also provided for the first time, the diagnosis of viral etiologic agents that are associated with meningoencephalitis in this setting. Institution of PCR diagnostics is recommended as a routine test for suspected cases of ABM to enhance early diagnosis and optimal treatment.
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