European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology
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Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2019
Added diagnostic value of 16S rRNA gene pan-mycobacterial PCR for nontuberculous mycobacterial infections: a 10-year retrospective study.
The diagnosis of mycobacterial infections has been dramatically improved by the introduction of molecular methods aimed to reduce the time to diagnosis as compared with culture. The broad range pan-mycobacterial PCR can detect all the mycobacterial species directly from clinical specimens. We aimed to evaluate its usefulness and its clinical added value for the diagnosis of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections. ⋯ The median time to identification at species level was 35 days (SD, 17.67) for culture and 6 days (SD, 2.67) for the PCR (when positive), which represents a 29-day shorter time to results (p < 0.0001). The 16S rRNA gene pan-mycobacterial PCR displays a substantial benefit in terms of time to diagnose NTM infections when compared with culture. Despite an excellent specificity, its sensitivity is yet limited in particular for smear-negative specimens, which might be improved by relying onto real-time PCRs.
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Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2019
First genotypic characterization of toxigenic Clostridioides difficile in Lithuanian hospitals reveals the prevalence of the hypervirulent ribotype 027/ST1.
Clostridioides difficile has become the leading nosocomial Gram-positive pathogen in the developed countries. In Lithuania, the national surveillance program for C. difficile started in 2017. Enzyme immunoassay, the real-time PCR system, and culture are used for laboratory confirmation of C. difficile infection in Lithuanian clinical laboratories. ⋯ Our study is the first genotypic characterization of C. difficile isolates in Lithuania. We observed a high prevalence of presumptive RT027 that suggests unfavorable epidemiological situation in Lithuania. Our results stress for implementation of genotyping of C. difficile isolates in Lithuanian surveillance.