scholarly journals Metagenomic sequencing to detect respiratory viruses in persons under investigation for COVID-19

Author(s):  
Ahmed Babiker ◽  
Heath Bradley ◽  
Victoria Stittleburg ◽  
Autum Key ◽  
Colleen Suzanne Kraft ◽  
...  

We used metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to assess the frequencies of alternative viral infections in SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR negative persons under investigations (PUIs) (n=30) and viral co-infections in SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive PUIs (n=45). mNGS identified both co-infections and alternative viral infections that were not detected by routine clinical workup

Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Zanella ◽  
S. Cordey ◽  
F. Laubscher ◽  
M. Docquier ◽  
G. Vieille ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Viral infections are common complications following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Allo-HSCT recipients with steroid-refractory/dependent graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) are highly immunosuppressed and are more vulnerable to infections with weakly pathogenic or commensal viruses. Here, twenty-five adult allo-HSCT recipients from 2016 to 2019 with acute or chronic steroid-refractory/dependent GvHD were enrolled in a prospective cohort at Geneva University Hospitals. We performed metagenomics next-generation sequencing (mNGS) analysis using a validated pipeline and de novo analysis on pooled routine plasma samples collected throughout the period of intensive steroid treatment or second-line GvHD therapy to identify weakly pathogenic, commensal, and unexpected viruses. Results Median duration of intensive immunosuppression was 5.1 months (IQR 5.5). GvHD-related mortality rate was 36%. mNGS analysis detected viral nucleotide sequences in 24/25 patients. Sequences of ≥ 3 distinct viruses were detected in 16/25 patients; Anelloviridae (24/25) and human pegivirus-1 (9/25) were the most prevalent. In 7 patients with fatal outcomes, viral sequences not assessed by routine investigations were identified with mNGS and confirmed by RT-PCR. These cases included Usutu virus (1), rubella virus (1 vaccine strain and 1 wild-type), novel human astrovirus (HAstV) MLB2 (1), classic HAstV (1), human polyomavirus 6 and 7 (2), cutavirus (1), and bufavirus (1). Conclusions Clinically unrecognized viral infections were identified in 28% of highly immunocompromised allo-HSCT recipients with steroid-refractory/dependent GvHD in consecutive samples. These identified viruses have all been previously described in humans, but have poorly understood clinical significance. Rubella virus identification raises the possibility of re-emergence from past infections or vaccinations, or re-infection.


Author(s):  
Lingjie Song ◽  
Guibao Xiao ◽  
Ruixiang Tang ◽  
Xianqin Zhang ◽  
Zhan Gao ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Nanda Ramchandar ◽  
Nicole G Coufal ◽  
Anna S Warden ◽  
Benjamin Briggs ◽  
Toni Schwarz ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Pediatric central nervous system (CNS) infections are potentially life-threatening and may incur significant morbidity. Identifying a pathogen is important, both in terms of guiding therapeutic management, but also in characterizing prognosis. Usual care testing by culture and PCR is often unable to identify a pathogen. We examined the systematic application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for detecting organisms and transcriptomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in children with CNS infections. Methods We conducted a prospective multi-site study that aimed to enroll all children with a CSF pleocytosis and suspected CNS infection admitted to one of three tertiary pediatric hospitals during the study timeframe. After usual care testing had been performed, the remaining CSF was sent for mNGS and transcriptomic analysis. Results We screened 221 and enrolled 70 subjects over a 12-month recruitment period. A putative organism was isolated from CSF in 25 (35.7%) subjects by any diagnostic modality. mNGS of the CSF samples identified a pathogen in 20 (28.6%) subjects, which were also all identified by usual care testing. The median time to result was 38 hours. Conclusion Metagenomic sequencing of CSF has the potential to rapidly identify pathogens in children with CNS infections.


2020 ◽  
pp. 104063872096750
Author(s):  
Yasuyuki Momoi ◽  
Aya Matsuu

We used unbiased next-generation sequencing (NGS) to detect unknown viruses in cats. Serum or plasma samples were obtained from clinically ill cats with suspected acute viral infections. Nucleic acid was extracted from serum or plasma samples to construct a complementary DNA library for NGS. Comprehensive nucleotide sequencing analyses enabled detection of the genomes of various viruses, including the severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, feline immunodeficiency virus, feline morbillivirus, parvovirus, and Torque teno felis virus. Our findings indicate that comprehensive nucleotide analyses of serum or plasma samples can be used to detect infections with unknown viruses in cats.


2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. e02142-20
Author(s):  
Ahmed Babiker ◽  
Heath L. Bradley ◽  
Victoria D. Stittleburg ◽  
Jessica M. Ingersoll ◽  
Autum Key ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBroad testing for respiratory viruses among persons under investigation (PUIs) for SARS-CoV-2 has been performed inconsistently, limiting our understanding of alternative viral infections and coinfections in these patients. RNA metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) offers an agnostic tool for the detection of both SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA respiratory viruses in PUIs. Here, we used RNA mNGS to assess the frequencies of alternative viral infections in SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR-negative PUIs (n = 30) and viral coinfections in SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR-positive PUIs (n = 45). mNGS identified all viruses detected by routine clinical testing (influenza A [n = 3], human metapneumovirus [n = 2], and human coronavirus OC43 [n = 2], and human coronavirus HKU1 [n = 1]). mNGS also identified both coinfections (1, 2.2%) and alternative viral infections (4, 13.3%) that were not detected by routine clinical workup (respiratory syncytial virus [n = 3], human metapneumovirus [n = 1], and human coronavirus NL63 [n = 1]). Among SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR-positive PUIs, lower cycle threshold (CT) values correlated with greater SARS-CoV-2 read recovery by mNGS (R2, 0.65; P < 0.001). Our results suggest that current broad-spectrum molecular testing algorithms identify most respiratory viral infections among SARS-CoV-2 PUIs, when available and implemented consistently.


2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 919-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad R. Hasan ◽  
Arun Rawat ◽  
Patrick Tang ◽  
Puthen V. Jithesh ◽  
Eva Thomas ◽  
...  

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has shown promise for the detection of human pathogens from clinical samples. However, one of the major obstacles to the use of NGS in diagnostic microbiology is the low ratio of pathogen DNA to human DNA in most clinical specimens. In this study, we aimed to develop a specimen-processing protocol to remove human DNA and enrich specimens for bacterial and viral DNA for shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) specimens, spiked with control bacterial and viral pathogens, were processed using either a commercially available kit (MolYsis) or various detergents followed by DNase prior to the extraction of DNA. Relative quantities of human DNA and pathogen DNA were determined by real-time PCR. The MolYsis kit did not improve the pathogen-to-human DNA ratio, but significant reductions (>95%;P< 0.001) in human DNA with minimal effect on pathogen DNA were achieved in samples that were treated with 0.025% saponin, a nonionic surfactant. Specimen preprocessing significantly decreased NGS reads mapped to the human genome (P< 0.05) and improved the sensitivity of pathogen detection (P< 0.01), with a 20- to 650-fold increase in the ratio of microbial reads to human reads. Preprocessing also permitted the detection of pathogens that were undetectable in the unprocessed samples. Our results demonstrate a simple method for the reduction of background human DNA for metagenomic detection for a broad range of pathogens in clinical samples.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Hazan ◽  
Sheldon Jordan

Abstract Background: Reports have been surfacing surrounding CNS-associated symptoms in individuals affected by coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder with usual onset in childhood. Gut microbiota can affect central physiology and function via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. The authors of this case report describe Tourette’s-like symptoms in a patient resulting from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection disrupting gut microbiota. Case Presentation: This case involves a 16-year-old female that developed acute onset Tourette’s-like symptoms along with neuropsychiatric symptoms after exposure to and infection from SARS-CoV-2. The patient had negative nasopharyngeal (NP) real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) tests for SARS-CoV-2 on five occasions from August of 2020 through June of 2021. The patient’s symptoms continued to worsen over the next six months until next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed SARS-CoV-2 in her stool. Her treatment was adjusted as NGS revealed SARS-CoV-2 in her stool. Repair of the gastrointestinal microbiota, treatment with nutraceutical and pharmaceutical agents, as well as alterations in her surroundings resulted in dramatic improvement in the microbiome and a significant reduction of symptoms.Discussion: The use of (RT-PCR) testing to determine the presence or absence of SARS-CoV-2 may be inadequate and inaccurate for individuals that have been exposed to the virus. In addition, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection of the GI tract may cause significant havoc in the gut microbiota. Additional testing, eradication of infectious agents, as well as restoration of the gut microbiome are needed to effectively manage and treat this condition. The patient’s symptoms worsened over the next six months until next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed SARS-CoV-2 in her stool and her treatment was adjusted. Treatment with nutraceuticals and alterations in her surroundings was followed by a more normal microbiome and a dramatic reduction in symptoms.


Plant Disease ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice Mwaipopo ◽  
Minna-Liisa Rajamäki ◽  
Neema Ngowi ◽  
Susan N’chimbi Msolla ◽  
P Njau ◽  
...  

Viral diseases are a major threat for common bean production. In recent surveys, >15 different viruses belonging to 11 genera were shown to infect common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Tanzania. Management of viruses requires an understanding of how they survive from one season to the next. In this study, we explored the possibility that alternative host plants have a central role in the survival of common bean viruses. We used next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques to sequence virus-derived small interfering RNAs, together with conventional reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect viruses in wild plants. Leaf samples for RNA extraction and NGS were collected from 1,430 wild plants around and within common bean fields in four agricultural zones in Tanzania. At least partial genome sequences of viruses potentially belonging to 25 genera were detected. The greatest virus diversity was detected in the eastern and northern zones, whereas wild plants in the Lake zone and especially in the southern highlands zone showed only a few viruses. RT-PCR analysis of all the collected plant samples confirmed the presence of yam bean mosaic virus and peanut mottle virus in wild legume plants. Of all viruses detected, only two viruses, cucumber mosaic virus and a novel bromovirus related to cowpea chlorotic mottle virus and brome mosaic virus, were mechanically transmitted from wild plants to common bean plants. The data generated in this study are crucial for development of viral disease management strategies and predicting crop viral disease outbreaks in different agricultural regions in Tanzania and beyond.


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