Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41217732›Full record

ArticleInfection2026

Evaluating Seqstant LiveGene Analysis in real-time assessment of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) data from respiratory samples.

Sébastien Boutin, Sabrina Klein, Gerold Untergasser, Tobias P Loka, Suzan Jakob, Yasemin Caf, Elham Khatamzas, Ludwig Knabl, Georg Wrettos, Henri Knobloch and 1 more

Abstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Infection, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

11 authors.

Sébastien BoutinDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University Heidelberg & University Hospital Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. sebastien.Boutin@uksh.de.
Sabrina KleinDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University Heidelberg & University Hospital Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Gerold UntergasserTyrolpath Obrist Brunhuber GmbH, Hauptplatz 4, 6511, Zams, Austria.
Tobias P LokaSeqstant GmbH, Rheinstraße 11, 14513, Teltow, Germany.
Suzan JakobDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University Heidelberg & University Hospital Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Yasemin CafTyrolpath Obrist Brunhuber GmbH, Hauptplatz 4, 6511, Zams, Austria.
Elham KhatamzasDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Ludwig KnablTyrolpath Obrist Brunhuber GmbH, Hauptplatz 4, 6511, Zams, Austria.
Georg WrettosSeqstant GmbH, Rheinstraße 11, 14513, Teltow, Germany.
Henri KnoblochSeqstant GmbH, Rheinstraße 11, 14513, Teltow, Germany.
Dennis NurjadiDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University Heidelberg & University Hospital Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe detection of pathogens causing infections by conventional diagnostic methods can be challenging and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology offers a promising alternative method. In this study, we evaluated the performance of real-time metagenomic next-generation sequencing (rt-mNGS) for the detection of pathogens in respiratory samples.

methodWe used rt-mNGS, using the Seqstant LiveGene Analysis platform, on 335 respiratory samples in comparison to conventional culture results.

resultsWe observed an overall good concordance in 71.64% (240/335) of the methods. The rt-mNGS outperformed the gold standard culture in 16.12% (54/335) of the samples, while the culture was superior in detecting the clinically relevant pathogen in 12.24% (41/335) of the samples. The non-inferiority of rt-mNGS was statistically significant (δ = 10, α = 0.05, 1 - β = 0.8). We also observed that the real-time analysis of NGS data is beneficial in obtaining reliable, timely results, as the initial report at cycle 46 exhibits a Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of 93.75% at the species-level with a sensitivity of 32.09%.

conclusionOverall, our study showed the non-inferiority of rt-mNGS compared to the standard-of-care microbiology for respiratory samples with statistical significance. Moreover, the rt-mNGS method exhibited superior sensitivity and superior overall performance. It also uniquely detected certain organisms that are typically hard to culture. However, rt-mNGS reported a higher number of false positives and faced limitations in detecting Aspergillus spp. In conclusion, the study highlights the potential of rt-mNGS as a powerful tool in clinical diagnostics of respiratory infections and beyond.

Indexed as

High-Throughput Nucleotide SequencingMetagenomicsRespiratory Tract InfectionsAdultBacteriaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSensitivity and SpecificityClinical metagenomicDiagnostic performanceNext-generation sequencing (NGS)Pathogen detectionRespiratory infection

Identifiers

PMID41217732
PMCPMC13021706

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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.