Diagnostic Value and Clinical Application of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing for Infections in Critically Ill Patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value and clinical application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for infections in critically ill patients. METHODS: Comparison of diagnostic performance of mNGS and conventional microbiological testing for pathogens was analyzed in 234 patients. The differences between immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals in mNGS-guided anti-infective treatment adjustment were also analyzed. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of mNGS for bacterial and fungal detection were 96.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 93.5%–99.6%) and 83.1% (95% CI, 75.2%–91.1%), and 85.7% (95% CI, 71.9%–99.5%) and 93.2% (95% CI, 89.7%–96.7%), respectively. Overall, 152 viruses were detected by mNGS, but in which 28 viruses were considered causative agents. The proportion of mNGS-guided beneficial anti-infective therapy adjustments in the immunocompromised group was greater than in the immunocompetent group (48.5% vs 30.1%; P=0.008). In addition, mNGS-guided anti-infective regimens with peripheral blood and BALF specimens had the highest proportion (39.0%; 40.0%), but the proportion of patients not helpful due to peripheral blood mNGS was also as high as 22.0%. CONCLUSION: mNGS might be a promising technology to provide precision medicine for critically ill patients with infection.