Comparison of 16S rDNA-PCR Amplification and Culture of Cerebrospinal Fluid for Diagnosis of Bacterial Meningitis

OBJECTIVE: Early and accurate diagnosis of bacterial meningitis is of critical concern. Optimum and rapid laboratory facilities are not routinely available for detecting the etiologic agents of meningitis. The objective of this study was to compare polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay with culture for detection of bacteria in central nervous system (CNS) samples from patients suspected to have meningitis. METHODS: One-hundred cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were obtained and divided into two parts. One part of samples was used for standard bacterial culture and gram staining. The remaining was used for DNA extraction. PCR assay was performed with universal primers for 16S rDNA gene of bacteria. Performance characteristics of the test were determined. FINDINGS: The PCR method was able to detect bacteria in all 36 culture-positive and in 38 of 64 culture-negative cases showing sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 40.6% respectively. Positive predictive value was 48.6% and negative predictive value 100%, however, Kappa coefficient showed the correlation of the 2 methods to be at 0.33. CONCLUSION: There are advantages and disadvantages in performance characteristics of the conventional CSF culture and universal CSF 16S rDNA PCR. Therefore, it is recommended to use both methods in clinical practice, particularly in suspicious contaminated samples, with presumable presence of fastidious or slow growing bacteria because of antibiotic consumption.