Implementation of full-length 16S nanopore sequencing for bacterial identification in a clinical diagnostic setting.

This study describes the implementation of 16S nanopore sequencing in a diagnostic lab for pathogen identification without prior enrichment. First, the universality of the test and taxonomic resolution was evaluated for 78 clinically relevant bacteria (69 known and 9 unknown bacterial cultures). Next, the diagnostic value of the test was evaluated based on clinical samples.

Meningococcal pericarditis caused by the MenW:cc11 strain in an older adult.

Introduction: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by is a disease with a high mortality and morbidity rate. Serogroup W meningococci (MenW) used to be associated with sporadic disease worldwide. In recent years, a surge in MenW incidence is being observed.

Multicenter evaluation of the FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis assay in a routine setting.

The FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis (FA-ME) Panel (Biofire, Salt Lake City, Utah, US) enables fast and automated detection of 14 pathogens in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The performance of the FA-ME panel in a real routine setting has not yet been described and could lead to better patient management in cases of good performance. This multicenter study verified the FA-ME panel analytical performance in a routine hospital setting.

Multicenter study of automated systems for colistin susceptibility testing.

Purpose: Broth microdilution (BMD) stays as the reference testing method for determination of antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) to colistin and is considered essential for patient management and for monitoring of colistin resistance. This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the performance of automated systems for colistin AST among Enterobacterales as an alternative for BMD since the majority of laboratories use automated systems as first-line method.

Methods: Twenty colistin resistant (COL-R) including 10 MCR producers and 10 colistin-susceptible (COL-S) Enterobacterales isolates were blindly tested for colistin susceptibility with the routine automated AST systems used by 8 laboratories (3 with BD Phoenix, 3 with Vitek2 and 2 with MicroScan).