Culture-independent identification of bloodstream infections from whole blood: prospective evaluation in specimens of known infection status.

Unlabelled: Sepsis caused by bloodstream infection (BSI) is a major healthcare burden and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Timely diagnosis is critical to optimize clinical outcome, as mortality rates rise every hour treatment is delayed. Blood culture remains the "gold standard" for diagnosis but is limited by its long turnaround time (1-7 days depending on the organism) and its potential to provide false-negative results due to interference by antimicrobial therapy or the presence of mixed (i.

Microbial Identification Using DNA Target Amplification and Sequencing: Clinical Utility and Impact on Patient Management.

Broad-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is increasingly used in patients with culture-negative infections; however, few studies have assessed the diagnostic utility of this test in this context. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients who had clinical specimens sent for broad-range PCR, aiming to evaluate performance and determine impact on patient management. Organisms were identified in 21/71 samples.

Duplex DNA-Invading γ-Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids Enable Rapid Identification of Bloodstream Infections in Whole Blood.

Unlabelled: Bloodstream infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Early and targeted antimicrobial intervention is lifesaving, yet current diagnostic approaches fail to provide actionable information within a clinically viable time frame due to their reliance on blood culturing. Here, we present a novel pathogen identification (PID) platform that features the use of duplex DNA-invading γ-modified peptide nucleic acids (γPNAs) for the rapid identification of bacterial and fungal pathogens directly from blood, without culturing.

Hypogammaglobulinemia in liver transplant recipients: incidence, timing, risk factors, and outcomes.

Background: Recent studies suggest a substantial incidence of posttransplant hypogammaglobulinemia and an association with infection.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of immunoglobulin (Ig) G levels from blood prospectively collected during a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of cytomegalovirus (CMV) immune globulin that included 146 patients who underwent liver transplantation between December 1987 and June 1990. Serum samples collected at baseline and approximately weeks 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, and 32 posttransplant were analyzed.