ReviewInfection2026
Rare bacterial infections and metagenomics: current diagnostic and therapeutic challenges-a literature review.
Review in Infection, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
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Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis review aims to summarize the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges associated with rare bacterial infections, with particular focus on Whipple's disease, melioidosis, Lemierre's syndrome, and nocardiosis. It also evaluates the clinical utility of emerging molecular diagnostic techniques, particularly polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), in improving pathogen identification. The primary research question concerns how advances in molecular microbiology may enhance the early diagnosis and targeted treatment of these infections.
methodsA narrative literature review with a structured search strategy was conducted. PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus were searched for studies published between January 1998 and April 2026 using MeSH terms and keywords related to rare bacterial infections and molecular diagnostics. Eligible peer-reviewed articles in English or Polish, including original studies, reviews, meta-analyses, and selected case reports, were included. Data extraction and study selection were performed independently by two reviewers.
resultsRare bacterial infections are frequently associated with delayed diagnosis due to nonspecific clinical manifestations, limited clinician awareness, negative culture results, and restricted access to advanced diagnostic methods. Molecular techniques improve detection sensitivity and identify pathogens not recoverable by routine culture. For metagenomic sequencing this comes at the cost of reduced specificity. In these infections the supporting evidence comes largely from case reports and small single-center series.
conclusionRare bacterial infections remain a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Broader implementation of advanced molecular diagnostic techniques, increased clinical awareness, and standardized diagnostic strategies are needed to reduce diagnostic delay. Whether this in turn reduces morbidity and mortality requires prospective evaluation.
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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.