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Frickmann H, Schwinge K, Podbielski A, Warnke P. Preanalytical, Analytical and Postanalytical Analyses on Corynebacterium spp. and Actinomycetaceae in Urine Samples of Patients with Suspected Urinary Tract Infection-A Hypothesis-Forming Observational Study. Diagnostics (Basel) 2024; 14:746. [PMID: 38611658 PMCID: PMC11011480 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14070746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
A hypothesis-forming exploratory cross-sectional assessment was conducted to assess the occurrence and relevance of Gram-positive rod-shaped bacteria like Corynebacterium spp. and Actinomycetaceae in human urine samples. In total, 1170 urine samples from 1031 inpatients with suspected urinary tract infection were assessed for culture-based growth of Gram-positive rod-shaped bacteria applying API Coryne assays, matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), and in-house 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Overall, 502 different bacterial colonies from 346 urine samples taken from 324 inpatients were observed. The three quantitatively most abundant genera or genus clusters were Corynebacterium (254 isolates, 62%), Actinomyces/Winkia (79 isolates, 19%), and Actinotignum/Actinobaculum (29 isolates, 7%). Compared to sequencing, the diagnostic accuracy of all assessed competitor assays from the diagnostic routine was <80% for differentiation on the genus level and <30% for differentiation on the species level. Prolongated incubation for 4 days compared to 2 days resulted in additional detection of 15% of the totally recorded Gram-positive rod-shaped bacteria. An approximately 5-fold increased detection rate in mid-stream urine compared to urine acquired applying alternative sampling strategies was observed. In conclusion, in the rare event of the suspected clinical relevance of such findings, confirmatory testing with invasively sampled urine should be considered due to the high contamination rate observed in mid-stream urine. Confirmatory testing by DNA-sequencing methods should be considered if an exact identification of genus or species is regarded as relevant for the individual choice of the therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagen Frickmann
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (K.S.); (A.P.)
- Department of Microbiology and Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20239 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Schwinge
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (K.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Andreas Podbielski
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (K.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Philipp Warnke
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (K.S.); (A.P.)
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2
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He S, Xiong Y, Tu T, Feng J, Fu Y, Hu X, Wang N, Li D. Diagnostic performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing for the detection of pathogens in cerebrospinal fluid in pediatric patients with central nervous system infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:103. [PMID: 38238719 PMCID: PMC10797782 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09010-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Detecting pathogens in pediatric central nervous system infection (CNSI) is still a major challenge in medicine. In addition to conventional diagnostic patterns, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) shows great potential in pathogen detection. Therefore, we systematically evaluated the diagnostic performance of mNGS in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in pediatric patients with CNSI. METHODS Related literature was searched in the Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. We screened the literature and extracted the data according to the selection criteria. The quality of included studies was assessed by the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) tool and the certainty of the evidence was measured by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) score system. Then, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odd's ratio (DOR), and area under the curve (AUC) of the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (sROC) were estimated in Stata Software and MetaDisc. Subgroup analyses were performed to investigate the potential factors that influence the diagnostic performance. RESULTS A total of 10 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The combined sensitivity was 0.68 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59 to 0.76, I2 = 66.77%, p < 0.001), and the combined specificity was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.80 to 0.95, I2 = 83.37%, p < 0.001). The AUC of sROC was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.81 to 0.87). The quality level of evidence elevated by the GRADE score system was low. CONCLUSIONS Current evidence shows that mNGS presents a good diagnostic performance in pediatric CNSI. Due to the limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high-quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sike He
- West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ying Xiong
- Center of Infectious Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Department of Periodical Press/Chinese Evidence-Based Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Teng Tu
- West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiaming Feng
- West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yu Fu
- West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xu Hu
- Department of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Neng Wang
- Center of Infectious Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Dapeng Li
- Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced Drug, Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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3
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Binder R, Hahn A, Eberhardt KA, Hagen RM, Rohde H, Loderstädt U, Feldt T, Sarfo FS, Di Cristanziano V, Kahlfuss S, Frickmann H, Zautner AE. Comparison of the Diagnostic Accuracy of Three Real-Time PCR Assays for the Detection of Arcobacter butzleri in Human Stool Samples Targeting Different Genes in a Test Comparison without a Reference Standard. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1313. [PMID: 37317286 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Potential etiological relevance for gastroenteric disorders including diarrhea has been assigned to Arcobacter butzleri. However, standard routine diagnostic algorithms for stool samples of patients with diarrhea are rarely adapted to the detection of this pathogen and so, A. butzleri is likely to go undetected unless it is specifically addressed, e.g., by applying pathogen-specific molecular diagnostic approaches. In the study presented here, we compared three real-time PCR assays targeting the genes hsp60, rpoB/C (both hybridization probe assays) and gyrA (fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay) of A. butzleri in a test comparison without a reference standard using a stool sample collection with a high pretest probability from the Ghanaian endemicity setting. Latent class analysis was applied with the PCR results obtained with a collection of 1495 stool samples showing no signs of PCR inhibition to assess the real-time PCR assays' diagnostic accuracy. Calculated sensitivity and specificity were 93.0% and 96.9% for the hsp60-PCR, 100% and 98.2% for the rpoB/C-PCR, as well as 12.7% and 99.8% for the gyrA-PCR, respectively. The calculated A. butzleri prevalence within the assessed Ghanaian population was 14.7%. As indicated by test results obtained with high-titer spiked samples, cross-reactions of the hsp60-assay and rpoB/C-assay with phylogenetically related species such as A. cryaerophilus can occur but are less likely with phylogenetically more distant species like, e.g., A. lanthieri. In conclusion, the rpoB/C-assay showed the most promising performance characteristics as the only assay with sensitivity >95%, albeit associated with a broad 95%-confidence interval. In addition, this assay showed still-acceptable specificity of >98% in spite of the known cross-reactivity with phylogenetically closely related species such as A. cryaerophilus. If higher certainty is desired, the gyrA-assay with specificity close to 100% can be applied for confirmation testing with samples showing positive rpoB/C-PCR results. However, in case of a negative result in the gyrA-assay, this cannot reliably exclude the detection of A. butzleri in the rpoB/C-assay due to the gyrA-assay's very low sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona Binder
- Laboratory Department, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Hahn
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Kirsten Alexandra Eberhardt
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- Division of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases, Institute of Hygiene and Environment, 20539 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ralf Matthias Hagen
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz, 56070 Koblenz, Germany
| | - Holger Rohde
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Loderstädt
- Department of Hospital Hygiene & Infectious Diseases, University Medicine Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Torsten Feldt
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Fred Stephen Sarfo
- Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana
- Department of Medicine, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi 00233, Ghana
| | - Veronica Di Cristanziano
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, 50935 Cologne, Germany
| | - Sascha Kahlfuss
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
- CHaMP-Center for Health and Medical Prevention, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39104 Magdeburg, Germany
- Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation (GCI), Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39104 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hagen Frickmann
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Erich Zautner
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
- CHaMP-Center for Health and Medical Prevention, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
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4
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Kann S, Concha G, Weinreich F, Hahn A, Rückert C, Kalinowski J, Landt O, Frickmann H. Comparative Assessment of Two Commercial Real-Time PCR Assays for the Diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in Serum. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11040901. [PMID: 37110326 PMCID: PMC10142699 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11040901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This study was performed to comparably assess two commercial real-time PCR assays for the identification of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in serum. A total of 518 Colombian serum samples with high pre-test probability for infections with either T. cruzi or apathogenic Trypanosoma rangeli were assessed. The assessment comprised the NDO real-time PCR (TIB MOLBIOL, ref. no. 53-0755-96, referred to as the TibMolBiol assay in the following) with specificity for T. cruzi and the RealStar Chagas PCR Kit 1.0 (altona DIAGNOSTICS, order no. 611013, referred to as the RealStar assay in the following) targeting a kinetoplast sequence of both T. cruzi and T. rangeli without further discrimination. To discriminate between T. cruzi- and T. rangeli-specific real-time PCR amplicons, Sanger sequencing results were available for a minority of cases with discordant real-time PCR results, while the amplicons of the remaining discordant samples were subjected to nanopore sequencing. The study assessment indicated a proportion of 18.1% (n = 94) T. cruzi-positive samples next to 24 samples (4.6%) containing DNA of the phylogenetically related but apathogenic parasite T. rangeli. The observed diagnostic accuracy as expressed by sensitivity and specificity was 97.9% (92/94) and 99.3% (421/424) with the TibMolBiol assay and 96.8% (91/94) and 95.0% (403/424) with the RealStar assay, respectively. Reduced specificity resulted from cross-reaction with T. rangeli in all instances (3 cross-reactions with the TibMolBiol assay and 21 cross-reactions with the RealStar assay). DNA from the six discrete typing units (DTUs) of T. cruzi was successfully amplified by both real-time PCR assays. In summary, both assays showed a comparable diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of T. cruzi from human serum, with a slightly higher specificity seen for the TibMolBiol assay. The pronounced co-amplification of DNA from apathogenic T. rangeli according to the RealStar assay may be a disadvantage in areas of co-circulation with T. cruzi, while the test performance of the two compared assays will be quite similar in geographic settings where T. rangeli infections are unlikely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Kann
- Medical Mission Institute, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Gustavo Concha
- Organization Wiwa Yugumaiun Bunkauanarrua Tayrona (OWYBT), Department Health Advocacy, Valledupar 2000001, Colombia
| | - Felix Weinreich
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Hahn
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Christian Rückert
- CeBiTec Centrum for Biotechnology, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Jörn Kalinowski
- CeBiTec Centrum for Biotechnology, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | | | - Hagen Frickmann
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
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5
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Woolums AR. Serology in Bovine Infectious Disease Diagnosis. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 2023; 39:141-155. [PMID: 36731994 DOI: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2022.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Serologic diagnosis is used to identify evidence of infection or vaccination by specific agents, or for population surveillance. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the serum (virus) neutralizing tests are most used for bovine serologic diagnosis. Although infectious agent-specific antibodies may include immunoglobulin M, immunoglobulin G, and immunoglobulin A, the antibody class is rarely specifically identified in diagnostic laboratory testing. When interpreting the results of serology, consider whether the antibodies are due to an agent that causes life-long infection, transient infection with no history of vaccination, or transient infection with a history of vaccination. Paired serology is necessary to confirm recent infection in cattle with a history of vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia R Woolums
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.
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6
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Zhou J, Chen J, Peng Y, Xie Y, Xiao Y. A Promising Tool in Serological Diagnosis: Current Research Progress of Antigenic Epitopes in Infectious Diseases. Pathogens 2022; 11:1095. [PMID: 36297152 PMCID: PMC9609281 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11101095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases, caused by various pathogens in the clinic, threaten the safety of human life, are harmful to physical and mental health, and also increase economic burdens on society. Infections are a complex mechanism of interaction between pathogenic microorganisms and their host. Identification of the causative agent of the infection is vital for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Etiological laboratory diagnostic tests are therefore essential to identify pathogens. However, due to its rapidity and automation, the serological diagnostic test is among the methods of great significance for the diagnosis of infections with the basis of detecting antigens or antibodies in body fluids clinically. Epitopes, as a special chemical group that determines the specificity of antigens and the basic unit of inducing immune responses, play an important role in the study of immune responses. Identifying the epitopes of a pathogen may contribute to the development of a vaccine to prevent disease, the diagnosis of the corresponding disease, and the determination of different stages of the disease. Moreover, both the preparation of neutralizing antibodies based on useful epitopes and the assembly of several associated epitopes can be used in the treatment of disease. Epitopes can be divided into B cell epitopes and T cell epitopes; B cell epitopes stimulate the body to produce antibodies and are therefore commonly used as targets for the design of serological diagnostic experiments. Meanwhile, epitopes can fall into two possible categories: linear and conformational. This article reviews the role of B cell epitopes in the clinical diagnosis of infectious diseases.
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7
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Metagenomic Sequencing for the Diagnosis of Plasmodium spp. with Different Levels of Parasitemia in EDTA Blood of Malaria Patients—A Proof-of-Principle Assessment. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911150. [PMID: 36232449 PMCID: PMC9569645 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular diagnostic approaches are increasingly included in the diagnostic workup and even in the primary diagnosis of malaria in non-endemic settings, where it is difficult to maintain skillful microscopic malaria detection due to the rarity of the disease. Pathogen-specific nucleic acid amplification, however, bears the risk of overlooking other pathogens associated with febrile illness in returnees from the tropics. Here, we assessed the discriminatory potential of metagenomic sequencing for the identification of different Plasmodium species with various parasitemia in EDTA blood of malaria patients. Overall, the proportion of Plasmodium spp.-specific sequence reads in the assessed samples showed a robust positive correlation with parasitemia (Spearman r = 0.7307, p = 0.0001) and a robust negative correlation with cycle threshold (Ct) values of genus-specific real-time PCR (Spearman r = −0.8626, p ≤ 0.0001). Depending on the applied bioinformatic algorithm, discrimination on species level was successful in 50% (11/22) to 63.6% (14/22) instances. Limiting factors for the discrimination on species level were very low parasitemia, species-depending lacking availability of reliable reference genomes, and mixed infections with high variance of the proportion of the infecting species. In summary, metagenomic sequencing as performed in this study is suitable for the detection of malaria in human blood samples, but the diagnostic detection limit for a reliable discrimination on species level remains higher than for competing diagnostic approaches like microscopy and PCR.
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8
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Kann S, Zabala-Monterroza W, García C, Concha G, Landt O, Hahn A, Weinreich F, Frickmann H. Comparison of the Influence of Different Nucleic Acid Extraction Assays on the Sensitivity of Trypanosoma cruzi-Specific Real-Time PCR. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10081554. [PMID: 36013972 PMCID: PMC9414588 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10081554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
For the molecular diagnosis of Chagas disease by real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction), optimization of diagnostic accuracy is desirable. The detection limit of real-time PCR assays for the diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi in human serum is affected by various influences including the choice of the nucleic acid extraction assay. In this study, three nucleic acid extraction assays were compared regarding their influence on the sensitivity of a T. cruzi-specific real-time PCR with 62 reference sera containing T. cruzi target DNA (deoxyribonucleotide acid). More than 95% of the positive sera were correctly identified after all three nucleic acid extraction strategies with a detection rate ranging from 96.8% (60/62) for the worst assay to 100% (62/62) for the best one. A matched pairs analysis for the comparison of the cycle threshold (Ct) values obtained with the 59 reference samples with positive real-time PCR results after all three nucleic acid extraction schemes indicated differences in a range of about 3 Ct steps. Summarized, all three compared nucleic acid extraction schemes were basically suitable for T. cruzi-specific PCR from serum with some minor differences. However, in the case of low quantities of circulating parasite DNA in the serum of a patient with Chagas disease, even minor effects can make a difference in the individual diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Kann
- Medical Mission Institute, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
- Correspondence:
| | - Wendy Zabala-Monterroza
- Public Health Laboratory, Secretariat of Health, Department Cesar, Valledupar 20000001, Colombia; (W.Z.-M.); (C.G.)
| | - Cenia García
- Public Health Laboratory, Secretariat of Health, Department Cesar, Valledupar 20000001, Colombia; (W.Z.-M.); (C.G.)
| | - Gustavo Concha
- Organization Wiwa Yugumaiun Bunkauanarrua Tayrona (OWYBT), Department Health Advocacy, Valledupar 2000001, Colombia;
| | | | - Andreas Hahn
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (A.H.); (H.F.)
| | - Felix Weinreich
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany;
| | - Hagen Frickmann
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (A.H.); (H.F.)
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany;
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9
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Weinreich F, Weinreich F, Hahn A, Hagen RM, Rohde H, Sarfo FS, Feldt T, Dompreh A, Asibey SO, Boateng R, Frickmann H, Eberhardt KA. Screening for Schistosoma spp. and Leishmania spp. DNA in Serum of Ghanaian Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11070760. [PMID: 35890001 PMCID: PMC9323644 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11070760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Both Schistosoma spp. (species) and Leishmania spp. are prevalent in Ghana in West Africa. However, little is known about their local occurrence in immunocompromised individuals. In the study presented here, the real-time PCR-(polymerase chain reaction-)based screening for repetitive DNA (deoxyribonucleotide acid) sequences from the genomes of Leishmania (L.) spp. and Schistosoma (S.) spp. was performed in the serum of HIV-(human immunodeficiency virus-)infected Ghanaian patients. In 1083 assessed serum samples from HIV-positive and HIV-negative Ghanian patients, Leishmania spp.-specific DNA was not detected, while the diagnostic accuracy-adjusted prevalence estimation suggested a 3.6% prevalence of the S. mansoni complex and a 0.5% prevalence of the S. haematobium complex. Associations of schistosomiasis with younger age, as well as with the male sex, could be shown but not with an HIV status. Weakly significant signals for the associations of schistosomiasis with an increased viral load, reduced CD4+ (CD = cluster of differentiation) T cell count, and a reduced CD4+/CD8+ ratio could be observed but was inconsistently lost in the case of the stratification on the species complex level. So, it is concluded that factors other than HIV status are more likely to have influenced the occurrence of Schistosoma spp. infections in the assessed Ghanaian patients. Potential associations between HIV infection-associated factors, such as the viral load and the immune status of the patients, for which weak signals were observed in this hypothesis-forming retrospective assessment, should be confirmed by prospective, sufficiently powered investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Weinreich
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (F.W.); (F.W.); (H.F.)
| | - Felix Weinreich
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (F.W.); (F.W.); (H.F.)
| | - Andreas Hahn
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Ralf Matthias Hagen
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz, 56070 Koblenz, Germany;
| | - Holger Rohde
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany;
| | - Fred Stephen Sarfo
- Department of Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana;
- Department of Medicine, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi 00233, Ghana;
| | - Torsten Feldt
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany;
| | - Albert Dompreh
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi 00233, Ghana; (A.D.); (R.B.)
| | | | - Richard Boateng
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi 00233, Ghana; (A.D.); (R.B.)
| | - Hagen Frickmann
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (F.W.); (F.W.); (H.F.)
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Kirsten Alexandra Eberhardt
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- Division of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases, Institute of Hygiene and Environment, 20539 Hamburg, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-40-42818-0
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10
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Comparative Evaluation of Real-Time Screening PCR Assays for Giardia duodenalis and of Assays Discriminating the Assemblages A and B. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10071310. [PMID: 35889028 PMCID: PMC9321168 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10071310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to superior sensitivity compared to traditional microscopy, real-time PCR has been well established for the diagnosis of Giardia duodenalis in human stool samples. In this study, screening real-time PCRs for different target genes of G. duodenalis, i.e., the 18S rRNA gene, the gdh (glutamate dehydrogenase) gene and the bg (beta-giardin) gene, were comparatively assessed next to various real-time PCR assays for the discrimination of the assemblages A and B of G. duodenalis targeting the bg gene with and without locked nucleic acid–containing probes as well as the tpi (triose phosphate isomerase) gene. The screening PCRs were assessed by including 872 non-preselected samples with a high pre-test probability for G. duodenalis in the statistical analysis, while 53 G. duodenalis-positive samples as indicated by at least two screening PCRs were finally included in the assessment of the assemblage-specific PCRs. For the screening PCRs, sensitivity estimated with latent class analysis (LCA) ranged from 17.5% to 100%, specificity from 92.3% to 100% with an accuracy-adjusted prevalence of 7.2% for G. duodenalis within the non-preselected sample collection. In detail, sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 100% for the 18S rRNA gene-specific assay, 17.5% and 92.3% for the gdh gene-specific assay, and 31.7% and 100% for the bg gene-specific assay, respectively. Agreement kappa was slight with only 15.5%. For the assemblage-specific PCRs, estimated sensitivity ranged from 82.1% to 100%, specificity from 84.0% to 100% with nearly perfect agreement kappa of 90.1% for assemblage A and yet substantial agreement of 74.8% for assemblage B. In detail for assemblage A, sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 100% for the bg gene-specific assay without locked nucleic acids (LNA) as well as 100% and 97.8% for both the bg gene-specific assay with LNA and the tri gene-specific assay, respectively. For assemblage B, sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 100% for the bg gene-specific assay without LNA, 96.4% and 84.0% for the bg gene-specific assay with LNA, and 82.1% and 100% for the tri gene-specific assay, respectively. Within the assessed sample collection, the observed proportion comprised 15.1% G. duodenalis assemblage A, 52.8% G. duodenalis assemblage B and 32.1% non-resolved assemblages. Only little differences were observed regarding the cycle threshold (Ct) values when comparing the assays. In conclusion, best diagnostic accuracy was shown for an 18S rRNA gene-specific screening assay for G. duodenalis and for a differentiation assay discriminating the G. duodenalis assemblages A and B by targeting the bg gene with probes not containing locked nucleic acids. By adding additional highly specific competitor assays for confirmation testing, diagnostic specificity can be further increased on the cost of sensitivity if optimized specificity is desired.
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Limited Reliability of the Molecular Detection of Plasmodium spp. from Incubated Blood Culture Samples for Forensic Purposes. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10020406. [PMID: 35208861 PMCID: PMC8879611 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The suitability of incubated blood culture material for forensic molecular malaria diagnosis was assessed for non-endemic settings for cases in which the differential diagnosis malaria was initially overlooked. For the proof-of-principle assessment, residual blood culture materials from febrile patients from tropical Ghana were investigated by real-time PCR and compared with available historic microscopic results. In 2114 samples, for which microscopical results and real-time PCR results were available, microscopical results comprised 711 P. falciparum detections, 7 P. malariae detections, 1 microscopically not-further-discriminable Plasmodium spp. detection as well as 13 detections of mixed infections comprising 12 cases of P. falciparum/P. malariae co-infections and 1 case of a P. falciparum/P. ovale complex co-infection, while real-PCR indicated 558 P. falciparum detections, 95 P. malariae detections, 10 P. ovale complex detections, 1 P. vivax detection and 4 detected P. falciparum/P. malariae co-infections. Concordance of routine microscopy and real-time PCR was imperfect. Using routine microscopy as reference was associated with a seemingly low agreement of positive real-time PCR results of 90.9%. However, if positive samples, either by routine microscopy or real-time PCR or both, were applied as a combined reference, the agreement of positive results obtained with real-time PCR was increased from 74.0% to 77.9%, while the agreement of positive results obtained with routine microscopy was decreased from 100% to 85.3%. The predictive value of routine microscopy for negative results in the reference was slightly better with 90.9% compared to real-time PCR with 86.9%; the concordance between routine microscopy and real-time PCR was imperfect. In conclusion, even suboptimal sample materials such as incubated blood culture materials can be applied for forensic malaria diagnosis, if more suitable sample materials are not available, but the molecular detection rate of positive results in routine microscopy is much lower than previously reported for non-incubated blood.
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Comparison of Three Real-Time PCR Assays for the Detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis in Stool Samples Targeting the 18S rRNA Gene and the hsp70 Gene. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11020165. [PMID: 35215106 PMCID: PMC8877086 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11020165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Diagnostic real-time PCR for the detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis in human stool samples has been applied for two decades. However, recent comparative assessments between in-house and commercial assays suggested room for improvement regarding the agreement of positive signals of the applied real-time PCRs. In order to assess the effect of the choice of the target sequence, 3 inhouse real time PCR assays targeting the 18S rRNA gene (n = 2, one of them later referred to as SSU rRNA gene assay to avoid confusion) and the hsp70 gene of C. cayetanensis were compared in a head-to-head comparison with 905 samples with high pretest probability for C. cayetanensis infections from Ghanaian HIV patients in a test comparison without a reference standard. Only slight agreement kappa of 0.095 was observed. In the assays targeting the SSU rRNA gene, the 18S rRNA gene, and hsp70, positive signals were recorded in 63, 45, and 0 instances, respectively, with latent class analysis-based estimation of sensitivity of 32.2%, 23.3%, 0% as well as of specificity of 99.7%, 99.9% and 100%, respectively. High cycle threshold values with an average of about 35 indicated low quantities of target DNA in the samples with similar Ct values in concordantly and discordantly positive samples. In conclusion, the study suggested target-gene-specific differences in the diagnostic accuracy of real-time PCR-based diagnosis of C. cayetanensis as well as an ongoing need for further standardization of this diagnostic approach.
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Identification of Pneumocystis jirovecii with Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization (FISH) in Patient Samples-A Proof-of-Principle. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 8:jof8010013. [PMID: 35049953 PMCID: PMC8778293 DOI: 10.3390/jof8010013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In resource-limited settings, where pneumocystosis in immunocompromised patients is infrequently observed, cost-efficient, reliable, and sensitive approaches for the diagnostic identification of Pneumocystis jirovecii in human tissue samples are desirable. Here, an in-house fluorescence in situ hybridization assay was comparatively evaluated against Grocott’s staining as a reference standard with 30 paraffin-embedded tissue samples as well as against in-house real-time PCR with 30 respiratory secretions from immunocompromised patients with clinical suspicion of pneumocystosis. All pneumocystosis patients included in the study suffered from HIV/AIDS. Compared with Grocott’s staining as the reference standard, sensitivity of the FISH assay was 100% (13/13), specificity was 41% (7/17), and the overall concordance was 66.7% with tissue samples. With respiratory specimens, sensitivity was 83.3% (10/12), specificity was 100% (18/18), and the overall concordance was 93.3% as compared with real-time PCR. It remained unresolved to which proportions sensitivity limitations of Grocott’s staining or autofluorescence phenomena affecting the FISH assay accounted for the recorded reduced specificity with the tissue samples. The assessment confirmed Pneumocystis FISH in lung tissue as a highly sensitive screening approach; however, dissatisfying specificity in paraffin-embedded biopsies calls for confirmatory testing with other techniques in case of positive FISH screening results. In respiratory secretions, acceptable sensitivity and excellent specificity were demonstrated for the diagnostic application of the P. jirovecii-specific FISH assay.
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Optimization of Case Definitions for Sensitivity as a Preventive Strategy-A Modelling Exemplified with Rapid Diagnostic Test-Based Prevention of Sexual HIV Transmission. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:diagnostics11112079. [PMID: 34829425 PMCID: PMC8620421 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11112079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In clinical studies, case definitions are usually designed to optimally match the desired clinical state, because lacking specificity is associated with a risk of bias regarding the study outcome. In preventive medicine, however, high sensitivity is sometimes considered as more critical in order not to overlook infectious individuals, because the latter may be associated with ongoing spread of a transmittable disease. Accordingly, this work was focused on a theoretical model on how the sensitivity of case definitions can be optimized by adding clinical symptoms to diagnostic results for preventive purposes, if the associated reduction in specificity is considered as acceptable. The model was exemplified with an analysis on whether and in how far exposure risk can be reduced by the inclusion of observable symptoms during seroconversion syndrome in case of rapid diagnostic test-based prevention of sexual HIV transmission. The approach provided a high level of safety (negative predictive values close to 1) for the price of a considerably number of false positives (positive predictive values < 0.01 for some subpopulations). When applying such a sensitivity-optimized screening as a "diagnostics as prevention" strategy, the advantages of excellent negative predictive values need to be cautiously balanced against potential undesirable consequences of low positive predictive values.
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FRICKMANN HAGEN, POPPERT SVEN. No hints for abundance of Bacillus anthracis and Burkholderia pseudomallei in 100 environmental samples from Cameroon. Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp) 2021; 11:57-61. [PMID: 34478403 PMCID: PMC8614492 DOI: 10.1556/1886.2021.00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known on the abundance of the pathogens Bacillus anthracis and Burkholderia pseudomallei in environmental samples in Cameroon. Therefore, 100 respective samples were assessed in a proof-of-principle assessment. METHODS DNA residuals from nucleic acid extractions of 100 environmental samples, which were collected between 2011 and 2013 in the Mapé Basin of Cameroon, were screened for B. anthracis and B. pseudomallei by real-time PCR. The samples comprised soil samples with water contact (n = 88), soil samples without water contact (n = 6), plant material with water contact (n = 3), water (n = 2), and soil from a hospital dressing room (n = 1). RESULTS B. anthracis and B. pseudomallei were detected in none of the samples assessed. CONCLUSION The results indicate that at least a quantitatively overwhelming, ubiquitous occurrence of B. anthracis and B. pseudomallei in the environment in Cameroon is highly unlikely. However, the number and choice of the assessed samples limit the interpretability of the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- HAGEN FRICKMANN
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Hospital Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - SVEN POPPERT
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Comparison of Three Real-Time PCR Assays Targeting the SSU rRNA Gene, the COWP Gene and the DnaJ-Like Protein Gene for the Diagnosis of Cryptosporidium spp. in Stool Samples. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10091131. [PMID: 34578163 PMCID: PMC8472038 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10091131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
As qualified microscopy of enteric parasitoses as defined by high diagnostic accuracy is difficult to maintain in non-endemic areas due to scarce opportunities for practicing with positive sample materials, molecular diagnostic options provide less investigator-dependent alternatives. Here, we compared three molecular targets for the real-time PCR-based detection of Cryptosporidium spp. From a population of 1000 individuals comprising both Ghanaian HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) patients and military returnees after deployment in the tropics, stool samples were assessed for Cryptosporidium spp. by real-time PCR targeting the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene, the Cryptosporidium oocyst wall (COWP) gene, and the DnaJ-like protein gene (DnaJ), respectively. In declining order, sensitivity of 100% for the SSU rRNA gene PCR, 90.0% for the COWP PCR and 88.8% for the DnaJ PCR, respectively, as well as specificity of 99.6% for the COWP PCR and 96.9% for both the SSU rRNA gene PCR and the DnaJ PCR, respectively, were recorded. Substantial agreement (kappa value 0.663) between the three assays was observed. Further, an accuracy-adjusted Cryptosporidium spp. prevalence of 6.0% was calculated for the study population. In conclusion, none of the assessed real-time PCR assays were associated with perfect test accuracy. However, a combination of highly sensitive SSU rRNA gene PCR for screening purposes and more specific COWP PCR for confirmatory testing should allow reliable diagnosis of Cryptosporidium spp. in stool samples even in low prevalence settings.
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Blohm M, Hahn A, Hagen RM, Eberhardt KA, Rohde H, Leboulle G, Feldt T, Sarfo FS, Di Cristanziano V, Frickmann H, Loderstädt U. Comparison of Two Real-Time PCR Assays Targeting Ribosomal Sequences for the Identification of Cystoisospora belli in Human Stool Samples. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10081053. [PMID: 34451517 PMCID: PMC8399767 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10081053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cystoisospora (C.) belli is a coccidian parasite associated with acute or chronic gastroenteritis in immunocompromised patients. Dissatisfactory sensitivity of microscopy as the diagnostic standard approach has been described. Here, we comparatively evaluated two real-time PCRs targeting ribosomal RNA gene sequences of C. belli in stool in a test comparison without a reference standard applying latent class analysis. Therefore, 1000 stool samples from Ghanaian HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) patients (n = 905) as well as military returnees from the tropics (n = 95) were assessed by both assays in parallel. After the exclusion of 33 samples showing PCR inhibition, 29 and 33 positive results were recorded with the 5.8S rRNA gene/ITS-2 sequence PCR and the ITS-2 sequence PCR, respectively, resulting in an accuracy-adjusted prevalence of 3.2%. Nearly perfect agreement between both assays was indicated by Fleiss’ kappa of 0.933 with sensitivity and specificity of 92.8% and 100% as well as 100% and 99.8% for the 5.8S rRNA gene/ITS-2 sequence PCR and the ITS-2 sequence PCR, respectively. Both assays proved to be suitable for the diagnosis of C. belli in human stool samples with slightly better sensitivity of the ITS-2 sequence assay, while the 5.8S rRNA gene/ITS-2 sequence PCR may be considered for confirmatory testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Blohm
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.B.); (H.F.)
| | - Andreas Hahn
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Ralf Matthias Hagen
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz, 56070 Koblenz, Germany;
| | - Kirsten Alexandra Eberhardt
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany;
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Holger Rohde
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany;
| | | | - Torsten Feldt
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany;
| | - Fred Stephen Sarfo
- Department of Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana;
| | - Veronica Di Cristanziano
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, 50935 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Hagen Frickmann
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (M.B.); (H.F.)
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Ulrike Loderstädt
- Department of Hospital Hygiene & Infectious Diseases, University Medicine Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-551-3965709
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Testing as Prevention of Resistance in Bacteria Causing Sexually Transmitted Infections-A Population-Based Model for Germany. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10080929. [PMID: 34438979 PMCID: PMC8388946 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10080929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Prescribed antibiotic treatments which do not match the therapeutic requirements of potentially co-existing undetected sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can facilitate the selection of antibiotic-drug-resistant clones. To reduce this risk, this modelling assessed the potential applicability of reliable rapid molecular test assays targeting bacterial STI prior to the prescription of antibiotic drugs. The modelling was based on the prevalence of three bacterial STIs in German heterosexual and men-having-sex-with-men (MSM) populations, as well as on reported test characteristics of respective assays. In the case of the application of rapid molecular STI assays for screening, the numbers needed to test in order to correctly identify any of the included bacterial STIs ranged from 103 to 104 for the heterosexual population and from 5 to 14 for the MSM population. The number needed to harm—defined as getting a false negative result for any of the STIs and a false positive signal for another one, potentially leading to an even more inappropriate adaptation of antibiotic therapy than without any STI screening—was at least 208,995 for the heterosexuals and 16,977 for the MSM. Therefore, the screening approach may indeed be suitable to avoid unnecessary selective pressure on bacterial causes of sexually transmitted infections.
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Serology- and Blood-PCR-Based Screening for Schistosomiasis in Pregnant Women in Madagascar-A Cross-Sectional Study and Test Comparison Approach. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10060722. [PMID: 34201231 PMCID: PMC8229283 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10060722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This work was conducted as a cross sectional study to define the disease burden of schistosomiasis in pregnant Madagascan women and to evaluate serological and molecular diagnostic assays. A total of 1154 residual EDTA blood samples from pregnant Madagascan women were assessed. The nucleic acid extractions were subjected to in-house real-time PCRs specifically targeting S. mansoni complex, S. haematobium complex, and African Schistosoma spp. on genus level, while the EDTA plasma samples were analyzed using Schistosoma-specific IgG and IgM commercial ELISA and immunofluorescence assays. The analyses indicated an overall prevalence of schistosomiasis in Madagascan pregnant women of 40.4%, with only minor regional differences and differences between serology- and blood PCR-based surveillance. The S. mansoni specific real-time PCR showed superior sensitivity of 74% (specificity 80%) compared with the genus-specific real-time PCR (sensitivity 13%, specificity 100%) in blood. The laborious immunofluorescence (sensitivity IgM 49%, IgG 87%, specificity IgM 85%, IgG 96%) scored only slightly better than the automatable ELISA (sensitivity IgM 38%, IgG 88%, specificity IgM 78%, IgG 91%). Infections with S. mansoni were detected only. The high prevalence of schistosomiasis recorded here among pregnant women in Madagascar calls for actions in order to reduce the disease burden.
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Loderstädt U, Hagen RM, Hahn A, Frickmann H. New Developments in PCR-Based Diagnostics for Bacterial Pathogens Causing Gastrointestinal Infections-A Narrative Mini-Review on Challenges in the Tropics. Trop Med Infect Dis 2021; 6:tropicalmed6020096. [PMID: 34199650 PMCID: PMC8293448 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed6020096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of modern PCR approaches for the diagnosis of bacterial gastrointestinal pathogens is on the rise due to their rapidly available results combined with high sensitivity. While multiple studies describe the ongoing implementation of this technique for routine diagnostic purposes in laboratories in Western industrialized countries, reports on successful and also sustainable respective approaches in resource-poor tropical settings are still scarce. In order to shed light on potential reasons for this marked discrepancy, this narrative review summarizes identified challenges for the application of diagnostic PCR targeting bacterial gastrointestinal pathogens from stool samples in the tropics. The identified and discussed issues comprise the lack of generally accepted definitions for (1) minimum standards regarding sample acquisition, storage and transport time for diagnostic PCR analyses in the tropics, (2) nucleic acid extraction standards allowing an optimum detection of all types of pathogens which may be responsible for gastroenteritis in the tropics, (3) validation standards to ensure comparable quality of applied diagnostic assays, and (4) cut-offs for a reliable discrimination of infection and mere colonization in areas where semi-immunity due to repeated exposition associated with poor hygiene conditions has to be expected. Further implementation research is needed to solve those issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Loderstädt
- Institute for Infection Control and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany;
| | - Ralf Matthias Hagen
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz, Andernacher Str. 100, 56070 Koblenz, Germany;
| | - Andreas Hahn
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Hagen Frickmann
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
- Correspondence: or or ; Tel.: +49-40-6947-28743
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Dierks S, Bader O, Schwanbeck J, Groß U, Weig MS, Mese K, Lugert R, Bohne W, Hahn A, Feltgen N, Torkieh S, Denker FR, Lauermann P, Storch MW, Frickmann H, Zautner AE. Diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 with Antigen Testing, Transcription-Mediated Amplification and Real-Time PCR. J Clin Med 2021; 10:2404. [PMID: 34072381 PMCID: PMC8199284 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10112404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This study was performed as a head-to-head comparison of the performance characteristics of (1) two SARS-CoV-2-specific rapid antigen assays with real-time PCR as gold standard as well as (2) a fully automated high-throughput transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) assay and real-time PCR in a latent class analysis-based test comparison without a gold standard with several hundred samples in a low prevalence "real world" setting. Recorded sensitivity and specificity of the NADAL and the LumiraDx antigen assays and the Hologic Aptima SARS-CoV-2 TMA assay were 0.1429 (0.0194, 0.5835), 0.7644 (0.7016, 0.8174), and 0.7157 (0, 1) as well as 0.4545 (0.2022, 0.7326), 0.9954 (0.9817, 0.9988), and 0.9997 (not estimable), respectively. Agreement kappa between the positive results of the two antigen-based assays was 0.060 (0.002, 0.167) and 0.659 (0.492, 0.825) for TMA and real-time PCR. Samples with low viral load as indicated by cycle threshold (Ct) values > 30 were generally missed by both antigen assays, while 1:10 pooling suggested higher sensitivity of TMA compared to real-time PCR. In conclusion, both sensitivity and specificity speak in favor of the use of the LumiraDx rather than the NADAL antigen assay, while TMA results are comparably as accurate as PCR, when applied in a low prevalence setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sascha Dierks
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany;
| | - Oliver Bader
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (O.B.); (J.S.); (U.G.); (M.S.W.); (K.M.); (R.L.); (W.B.)
| | - Julian Schwanbeck
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (O.B.); (J.S.); (U.G.); (M.S.W.); (K.M.); (R.L.); (W.B.)
| | - Uwe Groß
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (O.B.); (J.S.); (U.G.); (M.S.W.); (K.M.); (R.L.); (W.B.)
| | - Michael S. Weig
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (O.B.); (J.S.); (U.G.); (M.S.W.); (K.M.); (R.L.); (W.B.)
| | - Kemal Mese
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (O.B.); (J.S.); (U.G.); (M.S.W.); (K.M.); (R.L.); (W.B.)
| | - Raimond Lugert
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (O.B.); (J.S.); (U.G.); (M.S.W.); (K.M.); (R.L.); (W.B.)
| | - Wolfgang Bohne
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (O.B.); (J.S.); (U.G.); (M.S.W.); (K.M.); (R.L.); (W.B.)
| | - Andreas Hahn
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (A.H.); (H.F.)
| | - Nicolas Feltgen
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (N.F.); (S.T.); (F.R.D.); (P.L.); (M.W.S.)
| | - Setare Torkieh
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (N.F.); (S.T.); (F.R.D.); (P.L.); (M.W.S.)
| | - Fenja R. Denker
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (N.F.); (S.T.); (F.R.D.); (P.L.); (M.W.S.)
| | - Peer Lauermann
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (N.F.); (S.T.); (F.R.D.); (P.L.); (M.W.S.)
| | - Marcus W. Storch
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (N.F.); (S.T.); (F.R.D.); (P.L.); (M.W.S.)
| | - Hagen Frickmann
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (A.H.); (H.F.)
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Erich Zautner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (O.B.); (J.S.); (U.G.); (M.S.W.); (K.M.); (R.L.); (W.B.)
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Tanida K, Hahn A, Eberhardt KA, Tannich E, Landt O, Kann S, Feldt T, Sarfo FS, Di Cristanziano V, Frickmann H, Loderstädt U. Comparative Assessment of In-House Real-Time PCRs Targeting Enteric Disease-Associated Microsporidia in Human Stool Samples. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10060656. [PMID: 34073403 PMCID: PMC8229491 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10060656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Microsporidiosis is an infection predominantly occurring in immunosuppressed patients and infrequently also in travelers. This study was performed to comparatively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of real-time PCR assays targeting microsporidia with etiological relevance in the stool of human patients in a latent class analysis-based test comparison without a reference standard with perfect accuracy. Thereby, two one-tube real-time PCR assays and two two-tube real-time PCR assays targeting Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalocytozoon spp. were included in the assessment with reference stool material (20), stool samples from Ghanaian HIV-positive patients (903), and from travelers, migrants and Colombian indigenous people (416). Sensitivity of the assays ranged from 60.4% to 97.4% and specificity from 99.1% to 100% with substantial agreement according to Cohen’s kappa of 79.6%. Microsporidia DNA was detected in the reference material and the stool of the HIV patients but not in the stool of the travelers, migrants, and the Colombian indigenous people. Accuracy-adjusted prevalence was 5.8% (n = 78) for the study population as a whole. In conclusion, reliable detection of enteric disease-associated microsporidia in stool samples by real-time PCR could be demonstrated, but sensitivity between the compared microsporidia-specific real-time PCR assays varied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Tanida
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (K.T.); (H.F.)
| | - Andreas Hahn
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Kirsten Alexandra Eberhardt
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany;
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Egbert Tannich
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany;
- National Reference Centre for Tropical Pathogens, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Simone Kann
- Medical Mission Institute, 97074 Würzburg, Germany;
| | - Torsten Feldt
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany;
| | - Fred Stephen Sarfo
- Department of Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana;
| | - Veronica Di Cristanziano
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, 50935 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Hagen Frickmann
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (K.T.); (H.F.)
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Ulrike Loderstädt
- Department of Hospital Hygiene & Infectious Diseases, University Medicine Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-551-3965709
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23
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Luppa PB, Rabenau HF, Gässler N, Huzly D, Nauck M, Reischl U, Schoerner C, Zeichhardt H. Rational clinical use of near-patient analytical systems for molecular detection of infectious agents. J LAB MED 2021. [DOI: 10.1515/labmed-2021-0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Tests for diagnosing infectious diseases (ID-POCT) play a special role among the available point-of-care testing (POCT) methods.
Methods
A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed. Based on this literature review and our own experience, aspects associated with using molecular biological methods in the diagnostic amplification of pathogen DNA/RNA (nucleic acid testing = NAT) and/or signal amplification were discussed in an interdisciplinary manner. This resulted in the following recommendations for the near-patient use of NAT methods.
Results
Due to the current rise in the use of near-patient NAT testing (e.g., using disposable cartridges), recommendations are made for their implementation and appropriate clinical use in the hospital setting. Particular emphasis is placed on the analytical quality of the results. Furthermore, internal best-practice rules and selection criteria are proposed to ensure rapid diagnosis. Equally important are a medically valid interpretation of results and compliance with hygiene requirements. These recommendations emphasize that near-patient NAT should always be procured in conjunction with a (preferably) multidisciplinary institution responsible for POCT and knowledge of the test specifications and risks, as well as quality assurance need to be in place before they are carried out.
Conclusions
These recommendations are intended to improve patient safety and to avoid economically questionable expenditures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter B. Luppa
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University Hospital rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München , Munich , Germany
| | - Holger F. Rabenau
- Institute of Medical Virology, Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt/Main , Frankfurt/Main , Germany
| | - Norbert Gässler
- Center for Laboratory Diagnostics, St. Bernward Hospital , Hildesheim , Germany
| | - Daniela Huzly
- Institute of Virology, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg , Freiburg , Germany
| | - Matthias Nauck
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald , Greifswald , Germany
| | - Udo Reischl
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg , Regensburg , Germany
| | - Christoph Schoerner
- Microbiology Institute – Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen , Erlangen , Germany
| | - Heinz Zeichhardt
- IQVD GmbH – Institut für Qualitätssicherung in der Virusdiagnostik , Berlin , Germany
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24
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Comparison of five commercial real-time PCRs for in-vitro diagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., Cyclospora cayetanensis, and Dientamoeba fragilis in human stool samples. Travel Med Infect Dis 2021; 41:102042. [PMID: 33812018 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2021.102042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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25
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Frickmann H, Lunardon LM, Hahn A, Loderstädt U, Lindner AK, Becker SL, Mockenhaupt FP, Weber C, Tannich E. Evaluation of a duplex real-time PCR in human serum for simultaneous detection and differentiation of Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium infections - cross-sectional study. Travel Med Infect Dis 2021; 41:102035. [PMID: 33775915 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2021.102035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We evaluated a one-tube multiplex real-time PCR targeting DNA of Schistosoma haematobium complex and S. mansoni complex in serum samples obtained at different German diagnostic centers. METHODS Simplex real-time PCR protocols for the detection of the multi-copy DNA-repeats Dra1 of S. haematobium complex and Sm1-7 of S. mansoni complex in serum were combined to a new one-tube multiplex format. The new PCR was subjected to full validation including evaluation in a diagnostic real-life setting with travelers and migrants. PCR results were compared with those of stool and urine microscopy, serology, and circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) rapid diagnostic tests in urine. Sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic approaches were analyzed using latent class analysis (LCA). RESULTS LCA assessment indicated sensitivity and specificity of 94.9% and 98.4%, respectively, for serum PCR if serology was included in the calculation, and 100% and 95.6%, respectively, if serology was not included as a parameter not necessarily associated with active infection. Agreement between the compared diagnostic procedures at genus level was fair (kappa 0.273) if serology was included and moderate (kappa 0.420) if serology was not included. DISCUSSION The PCR assay proved to be highly reliable for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis in travelers and migrants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagen Frickmann
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
| | - Lisa-Maria Lunardon
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Saarland University, Homburg/Saar, Germany
| | - Andreas Hahn
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | | | - Andreas K Lindner
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sören L Becker
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Saarland University, Homburg/Saar, Germany; Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Frank P Mockenhaupt
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Egbert Tannich
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany; National Reference Centre for Tropical Pathogens, Hamburg, Germany
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26
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Jain S, Nehra M, Kumar R, Dilbaghi N, Hu T, Kumar S, Kaushik A, Li CZ. Internet of medical things (IoMT)-integrated biosensors for point-of-care testing of infectious diseases. Biosens Bioelectron 2021; 179:113074. [PMID: 33596516 PMCID: PMC7866895 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2021.113074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
On global scale, the current situation of pandemic is symptomatic of increased incidences of contagious diseases caused by pathogens. The faster spread of these diseases, in a moderately short timeframe, is threatening the overall population wellbeing and conceivably the economy. The inadequacy of conventional diagnostic tools in terms of time consuming and complex laboratory-based diagnosis process is a major challenge to medical care. In present era, the development of point-of-care testing (POCT) is in demand for fast detection of infectious diseases along with “on-site” results that are helpful in timely and early action for better treatment. In addition, POCT devices also play a crucial role in preventing the transmission of infectious diseases by offering real-time testing and lab quality microbial diagnosis within minutes. Timely diagnosis and further treatment optimization facilitate the containment of outbreaks of infectious diseases. Presently, efforts are being made to support such POCT by the technological development in the field of internet of medical things (IoMT). The IoMT offers wireless-based operation and connectivity of POCT devices with health expert and medical centre. In this review, the recently developed POC diagnostics integrated or future possibilities of integration with IoMT are discussed with focus on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases like malaria, dengue fever, influenza A (H1N1), human papilloma virus (HPV), Ebola virus disease (EVD), Zika virus (ZIKV), and coronavirus (COVID-19). The IoMT-assisted POCT systems are capable enough to fill the gap between bioinformatics generation, big rapid analytics, and clinical validation. An optimized IoMT-assisted POCT will be useful in understanding the diseases progression, treatment decision, and evaluation of efficacy of prescribed therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shikha Jain
- Department of Bio and Nano Technology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, 125001, India
| | - Monika Nehra
- Department of Bio and Nano Technology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, 125001, India; Department of Mechanical Engineering, UIET, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Rajesh Kumar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, UIET, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Neeraj Dilbaghi
- Department of Bio and Nano Technology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, 125001, India
| | - TonyY Hu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Sandeep Kumar
- Department of Bio and Nano Technology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, 125001, India.
| | - Ajeet Kaushik
- NanoBioTech Laboratory, Health Systems Engineering, Department of Natural Sciences, Florida Polytechnic University, Lakeland, FL, 33805-8531, United States.
| | - Chen-Zhong Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33174, USA.
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27
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Comparison of Five Serological Assays for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:diagnostics11010078. [PMID: 33418886 PMCID: PMC7825051 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11010078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Serological assays can contribute to the estimation of population proportions with previous immunologically relevant contact with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. In this study, we compared five commercially available diagnostic assays for the diagnostic identification of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Depending on the assessed immunoglobulin subclass, recorded sensitivity ranged from 17.0% to 81.9% with best results for immunoglobulin G. Specificity with blood donor sera ranged from 90.2% to 100%, with sera from EBV patients it ranged from 84.3% to 100%. Agreement from fair to nearly perfect was recorded depending on the immunoglobulin class between the assays, the with best results being found for immunoglobulin G. Only for this immunoglobulin class was the association between later sample acquisition times (about three weeks after first positive PCR results) and positive serological results in COVID-19 patients confirmed. In conclusion, acceptable and comparable reliability for the assessed immunoglobulin G-specific assays could be shown, while there is still room for improvement regarding the reliability of the assays targeting the other immunoglobulin classes.
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Tanida K, Hahn A, Frickmann H. Comparison of two commercial and one in-house real-time PCR assays for the diagnosis of bacterial gastroenteritis. Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp) 2020; 10:210-216. [PMID: 33279885 PMCID: PMC7753976 DOI: 10.1556/1886.2020.00030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The aim of the study was a comparative evaluation of in-house real-time PCR and commercial real-time PCR (Fast Track Diagnostics (FTD), ampliCube/Mikrogen) targeting enteropathogenic bacteria from stool in preparation of Regulation (EU) 2017/746 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices. Methods Both 241 stool samples from patients and 100 samples from German laboratory control schemes (“Ringversuche”) were used to comparatively assess in-house real-time PCR, the FTD bacterial gastroenteritis kit, and the ampliCube gastrointestinal bacterial panels 1&2 either with the in-house PCRs as gold standard and as a test comparison without gold standard applying latent class analysis. Sensitivity, specificity, intra- and inter-assay variation and Cohen’s kappa were assessed. Results In comparison with the gold standard, sensitivity was 75–100% for strongly positive samples, 20–100% for weakly positive samples, and specificity ranged from 96 to 100%. Latent class analysis suggested that sensitivity ranges from 81.2 to 100% and specificity from 58.5 to 100%. Cohen’s kappa varied between moderate and nearly perfect agreement, intra- and inter-assay variation was 1–3 to 1–4 Ct values. Conclusion Acceptable agreement and performance characteristics suggested replaceability of the in-house PCR assays by the commercial approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Tanida
- 1Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Hahn
- 2Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Hagen Frickmann
- 1Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,2Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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29
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Wiemer D, Schwarz NG, Burchard GD, Frickmann H, Loderstaedt U, Hagen RM. Surveillance of enteropathogenic bacteria, protozoa and helminths in travellers returning from the tropics. Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp) 2020; 10:147-155. [PMID: 32910786 PMCID: PMC7592519 DOI: 10.1556/1886.2020.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Diarrhoea is a frequent symptom associated with travelling to tropical regions, but the cause is often not found. Epidemiology was assessed including up-to-date real-time PCR approaches.We analysed datasets of 528 patients who presented at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, Germany, between 2006 and 2010 for screening purposes or because of diarrhoea. Stool samples were obtained and investigated by microscopy, bacterial culture, two PCR assays targeting Entamoeba histolytica, Entamoeba dispar, Giardia duodenalis, and Cryptosporidium parvum, or Salmonella spp., Shigella/EIEC spp., Campylobacter jejuni, and Yersinia spp.Among patients with gastrointestinal symptoms, 51% tested positive for bacteria or parasites, of which 66% had a known enteropathogenic potential. In patients without diarrhoea, 53% (n = 80) were positive, and 33% of these cases harboured agents of pathogenic potential. Association with clinical symptoms was primarily found for bacterial infections. Blastocystis hominis, however, was more frequent in asymptomatic than in symptomatic travellers.In conclusion, the study stresses the etiological relevance of bacterial gastroenteritis in travellers returning from the tropics, the need for molecular approaches to increase diagnostic sensitivity and demonstrates that asymptomatic carriage of enteropathogens after prolonged stays in the tropics is similarly frequent compared with symptomatic infections in travellers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothea Wiemer
- 1Department of Tropical Medicine at the Bernhard Nocht Institute, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Hagen Frickmann
- 1Department of Tropical Medicine at the Bernhard Nocht Institute, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,3Institute for Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | | | - Ralf-Matthias Hagen
- 4Department for Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz, Koblenz, Germany
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