ArticleBMC infectious diseases2024
Comparison of metagenomic next-generation sequencing and conventional culture for the diagnostic performance in febrile patients with suspected infections.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed.
- Diagnostic value of plasma cell-free DNA metagenomic next-generation sequencing in patients with suspected infections and exploration of clinical scenarios-a retrospective study from a single center.Annals of medicine · 2026Article
- Intra-amniotic infection: diagnosis, nomenclature, clinical significance, management, and microbiologic tools used for the diagnosis.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2026Review
- Application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing as an adjunct to conventional microbiological testing for the diagnosis of infection in kidney transplant recipients.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- The complexity of invasive fungal diseases in the intensive care unit: evaluation of metagenomic next-generation sequencing.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing for Brain Abscess: Improved Pathogen Detection, Targeted Antimicrobial Therapy, and Association with Fewer Surgical Interventions.Infection and drug resistance · 2026Article
- Evaluating the Clinical Impact of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in CNS Infections: A Diagnostic Pathway and Resource Utilization Modeling Study.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Case Report: Beyond conventional diagnostics: mNGS support in a complex immunocompromised patient diagnosis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Polymicrobial Multidrug-Resistant Infection and Fatal Bowel Ischemic Perforation After Urgent Heart Transplantation in a VA-ECMO-Bridged Recipient: A Case Report.Infection and drug resistance · 2026Article
- Next-Generation Sequencing for Bloodstream Infections: Shaping the Future of Rapid Diagnostics and Precision Medicine.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Hematological diseases-related mucormycosis: A retrospective single center study.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Unveiling the Future of Infective Endocarditis Diagnosis: The Transformative Role of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in Culture-Negative Cases.Journal of epidemiology and global health · 2025Review
- Diagnostic utility of metagenomic next-generation sequencing for tissue in patients with suspected infectious diseases.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- From Tradition to Innovation: Diverse Molecular Techniques in the Fight Against Infectious Diseases.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Primary cutaneous infections with non-tuberculous mycobacteria: a report of 6 cases.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Article
- The impact of neutrophil count on the results of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in immunocompromised febrile children.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Mayaro Virus as the cause of Acute Febrile Illness in the Colombian Amazon Basin.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTimely and accurate identification of pathogens is crucial for appropriate treatment and prognosis of infectious diseases. As an increasingly popular pathogen detection method, the performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in detecting pathogens in febrile patients with suspected infection requires further exploration.
methodsThis study included 368 febrile patients with suspected infections who were admitted to the Infectious Disease Department of Qilu Hospital, Shandong University between January 5, 2021 and April 14, 2023. Both mNGS testing and conventional culture were performed in all patients. Clinical data of enrolled patients were collected, and the diagnostic performances of mNGS and culture were compared.
resultsOf the 368 enrolled patients, 231 were finally diagnosed with infection and 137 were with diseases other than infection. The sensitivity (58.01% vs. 21.65%, p < 0.001) and negative predictive value (54.67% vs. 42.9%) of mNGS were superior to those of culture. In contrast, the culture exhibited higher specificity (99.27% vs. 85.40%, p < 0.001) and positive predictive value (98.84% vs. 87.01%) than mNGS. Among infected patients with positive mNGS results, 64 received adjusted antibiotic therapy including treatment transitions, antibiotic downgrading, and combination therapy. Among them, 9 had additional antifungal drugs and 21 patients had a treatment turning point based on the mNGS results and these patients recovered and discharged due to timely antibiotic adjustment. Both positive rates of puncture fluid mNGS and tissue mNGS were higher than those of culture in the patients who had prior antibiotic use, and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.000).
conclusionmNGS is more sensitive and accurate than traditional culture, making it ideal for identifying pathogens and screening infectious diseases, especially for those with uncultivated or difficult-to-cultivate species. Early diagnosis allows for prompt treatment with targeted antibiotics, and mNGS is recommended when samples are limited.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.