Evaluation of the Performance Characteristics of a New POC Multiplex PCR Assay for the Diagnosis of Viral and Bacterial Neuromeningeal Infections

Performance Evaluation of NovaplexTM Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay for Detection of Streptococcus agalactiae Serotypes

Streptococcus agalactiae, or group B streptococcus (GBS), is a Gram-positive pathogen with an extended track record of colonization in the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. GBS can induce disease in individuals across all age demographics, yet it predominantly triggers infections in neonates and the elderly. Identification of the serotype is vital for effective management of the disease as it provides critical information for clinicians on the cause of the disease. In this study, we evaluated the rapid, simple, and easy-to-adopt multiplex real-time PCR technique, NovaplexTM (NovaPCR). A total of 131 clinical isolates of different serotypes were tested using NovaPCR. Observations revealed that 129 isolates showed the same observations as LA and conventional mPCR. NovaPCR accurately identified serotypes IV and V, which were first classified as serotype Ia in the LA test and mPCR, and the difference between the traditional (LA test and mPCR) and NovaPCR methods is only 1.52%. Accurate serotype identification is helpful for monitoring the epidemics and achieving optimal clinical outcomes, and NovaPCR showed a reliable, fast, easy-to-interpret, and cost-efficient performance in GBS serotyping.

Comment on Cuesta et al. An Assessment of a New Rapid Multiplex PCR Assay for the Diagnosis of Meningoencephalitis. Diagnostics 2024, 14, 802

In April 2024, the manuscript by Cuesta et al [...].

A multicenter evaluation of the QIAstat-Dx meningitis-encephalitis syndromic test kit as compared to the conventional diagnostic microbiology workflow

PURPOSE

Rapid diagnosis and treatment of infectious meningitis and encephalitis (ME) is critical to minimize morbidity and mortality. Recently, Qiagen introduced the CE-IVD QIAstat-Dx ME panel (QS-ME) for syndromic diagnostic testing of meningitis and encephalitis. Some data on the performance of the QS-ME in comparison to the BioFire FilmArray ME panel are available. In this study, the performance of the QS-ME is compared to the current diagnostic workflow in two academic medical centers in the Netherlands.

METHODS

A total of 110 cerebrospinal fluid samples were retrospectively tested with the QS-ME. The results obtained were compared to the results of laboratory-developed real-time PCR assays (LDTs), IS-pro, bacterial culture, and cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) testing. In addition, the accuracy of the QS-ME was also investigated using an external quality assessment (EQA) panel consisting of ten samples.

RESULTS

Four of the 110 samples tested failed to produce a valid QS-ME result. In the remaining 106 samples, the QS-ME detected 53/53 viral targets, 38/40 bacterial targets, and 7/13 Cryptococcus neoformans targets. The discrepant bacterial results consisted of two samples that were previously tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes (CT 35.8) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (CT 40), respectively. The QS-ME detected one additional result, consisting of a varicella-zoster virus signal (CT 35.9), in a sample in which both techniques detected Streptococcus pyogenes. Finally, 100% concordance was achieved in testing a blinded bacterial ME EQA panel.

CONCLUSION

The QS-ME is a relevant addition to the syndromic testing landscape to assist in diagnosing infectious ME.