The value of nanopore sequencing as a diagnostic tool in tuberculous meningitis: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Rapid diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remains very difficult. Nanopore sequencing is gaining ground in the field of rapid tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics. The purpose of this study was to complete a protocol to guide the conduct of a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the accuracy of nanopore sequencing for the rapid diagnosis of TBM.

Methods: In accordance with the Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines, we completed this protocol, which was also registered on the PROSPERO platform. We will search the EMBASE, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Wanfang database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases for literature that evaluated the accuracy of nanopore sequencing for rapid diagnosis of TBM and screen them according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and qualified literature will be extracted with relevant data for further analysis. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) will be used for evaluating the methodological quality of included studies. Stata (V 15.0; Stata Corp., College Station, TX, the USA) with midas module will be used to perform relevant meta-analysis. Heterogeneity between studies will be assessed by I2 statistics. When significant heterogeneity exists between studies, we will conduct meta-regression analyses, subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses to further explore the sources of heterogeneity.

Conclusion: We completed this study protocol, and this systematic review and meta-analysis will be the first systematic evaluation of the role of nanopore sequencing in the rapid diagnosis of TBM, which will allow clinicians to have a better understanding of the test.

Trial Registration: Systematic review registration PROSPERO Registration number: CRD42024549837.