Comparison of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology with culture methods in the diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infections

BACKGROUND: Bacterial and fungal infections that caused by various kinds of pathogens are frequently-occurring disease all over the world. To overcome the shortcomings of traditional culture method, we have adapted next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to identify pathogens. METHODS: In this study, clinical samples from 20 patients pre-diagnosed with bacterial and fungal infections in the Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital of Tongji University, China, were investigated retrospectively to compare the NGS with conventional “gold standard” culture methods. RESULTS: The detection rates of bacterial or fungal infections were 95.0% (19/20) by NGS and 60.0% (12/20) by culture method. There was a significant difference between the results of NGS and traditional culture method by using McNemar’s χ(2) test (P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: NGS, as an emerging diagnostic technology, shows outstanding advantages in the diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infections, and optimizes the treatment of infectious diseases. The clinical application and future development of NGS technology are worthy of expectation.