We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Single Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing Test Can Detect All Infectious Pathogens

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 12 Nov 2024
Print article
Image: The clinical laboratory workflow for mNGS (Photo courtesy of UCSF)
Image: The clinical laboratory workflow for mNGS (Photo courtesy of UCSF)

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a comprehensive sequencing method that analyzes all nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) in a clinical sample at high depth, generating 10-20 million sequences per sample. This approach can be applied to any type of clinical sample, including cerebrospinal fluid, plasma, respiratory secretions, urine, stool, or tissue. Now, mNGS offers the potential to diagnose a wide range of infectious agents—viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites—through a single test.

Researchers at the UCSF Center for Next-Gen Precision Diagnostics (San Francisco, CA, USA) have developed an mNGS test capable of detecting sequence reads for all pathogens, helping to identify the cause of an infection. Initially, the UCSF team developed an mNGS test to identify pathogens in cerebrospinal fluid for meningitis and encephalitis diagnosis. This was followed by the development of a clinical plasma mNGS test designed to detect DNA viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites responsible for sepsis and disseminated infections in other organs. To analyze mNGS data quickly for pathogen identification, the team employs SURPI+ (SURPI PLUS), a clinical bioinformatics software pipeline.

In research published in Nature Medicine, the team demonstrated that their mNGS test for cerebrospinal fluid accurately identified 86% of neurological infections. They are now working on validating clinical tests for detecting all microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites) causing pneumonia in respiratory fluids like bronchoalveolar lavage or tracheal aspirates. Additionally, in a related study published in Nature Communications, the team used mNGS to identify pneumonia-causing pathogens in respiratory fluids and automated the process to generate faster results.

New
Gold Member
C-Reactive Protein Reagent
CRP Ultra Wide Range Reagent Kit
Automated Blood Typing System
IH-500 NEXT
New
Histamine ELISA
Histamine ELISA
New
Anti-Secukinumab ELISA
LISA-TRACKER anti-Secukinumab

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: The new saliva-based test for heart failure measures two biomarkers in about 15 minutes (Photo courtesy of Trey Pittman)

POC Saliva Testing Device Predicts Heart Failure in 15 Minutes

Heart failure is a serious condition where the heart muscle is unable to pump sufficient oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. It ranks as a major cause of death globally and is particularly fatal for... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The smartphone technology measures blood hemoglobin levels from a digital photo of the inner eyelid (Photo courtesy of Purdue University)

First-Of-Its-Kind Smartphone Technology Noninvasively Measures Blood Hemoglobin Levels at POC

Blood hemoglobin tests are among the most frequently conducted blood tests, as hemoglobin levels can provide vital insights into various health conditions. However, traditional tests are often underutilized... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: Under a microscope, DNA repair is visible as bright green spots (“foci”) in the blue-stained cell DNA. Orange highlights actively growing cancer cells (Photo courtesy of WEHI)

Simple Blood Test Could Detect Drug Resistance in Ovarian Cancer Patients

Every year, hundreds of thousands of women across the world are diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer. PARP inhibitors (PARPi) therapy has been a major advancement in treating these cancers, particularly... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: HNL Dimer can be a novel and potentially useful clinical tool in antibiotic stewardship in sepsis (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Unique Blood Biomarker Shown to Effectively Monitor Sepsis Treatment

Sepsis remains a growing problem across the world, linked to high rates of mortality and morbidity. Timely and accurate diagnosis, along with effective supportive therapy, is essential in reducing sepsis-related... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.