TITLE:
Review of the Clinical Applications of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in Bloodstream Infection
AUTHORS:
Jiajun Zhang, Guomin Zhang, Shiman Jin
KEYWORDS:
Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing (mNGS), Bloodstream Infection (BSI), Bacteremia, Sepsis, Diagnosis
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Infectious Diseases,
Vol.12 No.1,
March
15,
2022
ABSTRACT: Bloodstream infection (BSI) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. If we can make early diagnosis and start effective antibiotic treatment in time, the hospitalization time of patients with bloodstream infection can be significantly shortened. However, the current diagnosis of bloodstream infection cannot achieve the ideal therapeutic effect to a large extent because of the matrix effect of blood and the long turnaround time of blood culture. Therefore, a new detection method with a short turnaround time and high sensitivity is needed for the early diagnosis and timely treatment to improve the prognosis of patients. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a recently developed method for the comprehensive analysis of all microorganisms and genetic materials in clinical samples and is expected to be the main method for the early diagnosis of bloodstream infections. This review discusses the clinical application of mNGS in bloodstream infections. We also discuss technical challenges that need to be addressed to improve the diagnostic applicability of mNGS.