ArticleBMC infectious diseases2024
Comparative study of pathogen detection methods for central nervous system infections: laboratory testing of tuberculous meningitis.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- A nested PCR-based point-of-care multiplex test for detection of bacterial pathogens in cerebrospinal fluids.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- Diagnostic Utility of Nanopore Sequencing for Tuberculous Serous Effusions.Infection and drug resistance · 2025Article
- Correction: Comparative study of pathogen detection methods for central nervous system infections: laboratory testing of tuberculous meningitis.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a severe central nervous system (CNS) infection with a challenging diagnosis due to inadequate detection methods. This study evaluated current clinical detection methods and their applicability.
methodsA cohort of 514 CNS infection patients from 2018 to 2020 was studied. Data on general demographics, Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) analysis, epidemiology, and clinical outcomes were collected. TBM patients were identified, and the sensitivities of mmetagenomic next-generation sequencing (NGS), GeneXpert, and microbial culture were compared. Kappa statistic assessed the consistency between methods.
resultsAmong the patients involved, TBM (29%) and neurosyphilis (25%) were the two most prevalent CNS infections. CSF analysis indicated that 76% of patients had leukocytosis, suggesting a potential CNS inflammation. In TBM cases, 92.5% had elevated CSF protein and leukocyte counts. Moreover, the percentage of positive mNGS results was 55.6%. GeneXpert and MTB cultures alone had lower sensitivity, but combined use resulted in a 53.4% positive rate.
conclusionsThis study highlights the high sensitivity of mNGS, comparable to GeneXpert and MTB culture. The combined methods are cost-effective and straightforward, and can partially substitute for mNGS, offering valuable alternatives for TBM diagnosis and providing insights into multiple diagnostic strategies in clinical practice.
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