Evaluation of Xpert GBS assay and Xpert GBS LB assay for detection of Streptococcus agalactiae

BACKGROUND: Group B Streptococcal (GBS) infection is the primary agent of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Rapid and simple methods to detect GBS are Xpert GBS and GBS LB assays based on real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, since the diagnostic accuracy of the two techniques in diagnosing GBS remains unclear, we designed this study to appraise the diagnostic accuracy of the aforementioned. METHODS: A systematic search of all literature published before July 16, 2020 was conducted using Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. The study quality was evaluated through Review Manager 5.3. Accordingly, data extracted in the included studies were analyzed using Meta-DiSc 1.4 and Stata 12.0 software. The diagnosis odds ratio (DOR) and bivariate boxplot were utilized to evaluate the heterogeneity. Publication bias was appraised by using Deeks’ funnel plot. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies were adopted and only 19 sets of data met the criteria. The sensitivity and specificity of Xpert GBS were 0.91 (95% CI 0.89–0.92) and 0.93 (95% CI 0.92–0.94). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.9806. The sensitivity and specificity results of Xpert GBS LB were 0.96 (95% CI 0.95–0.98) and 0.94 (95% CI 0.92–0.95), respectively. The AUC was 0.9950. No publication bias was found. CONCLUSIONS: The Xpert GBS and GBS LB assays are valuable alternative methods with high sensitivity and specificity. However, determining whether they can be used as clinical diagnostic standards for GBS is essential for the future. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12941-021-00461-8.