Evaluation of a Commercial Multiplex Molecular Panel for Diagnosis of Infectious Meningitis and Encephalitis

ABSTRACT Rapid and accurate laboratory tests are important for the timely diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system infections. The FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis (ME) panel (BioFire Diagnostics, Salt Lake City, UT) is an FDA-cleared, multiplex molecular panel that allows the detection of 14 pathogens (bacterial [n = 6], viral [n = 7], and fungal [n = 1] pathogens) from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In this study, we evaluated the performance characteristics of the FilmArray ME panel using clinical, residual CSF samples (n = 291) that tested positive by a routine method(s) (e.g., bacterial culture, individual real-time PCR assay) for a pathogen represented on the ME panel. Of note, a subset (n = 76) of the CSF specimens was collected during the prevaccine era and had been characterized as positive for a bacterial pathogen. The FilmArray ME panel demonstrated an overall percent positive agreement (PPA) of 97.5% (78/80) for bacterial pathogens, 90.1% (145/161) for viruses, and 52% (26/50) for Cryptococcus neoformans/C. gattii. Despite the low overall agreement (52%) between the ME panel and antigen testing for detection of C. neoformans/C. gattii, the percent positive agreement of the FilmArray assay for C. neoformans/C. gattii was 92.3% (12/13) when the results were compared directly to the results of routine fungal smear or culture. The FilmArray ME panel offers a rapid (∼60-min), syndrome-based approach for the detection of select meningitis and encephalitis pathogens.

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Low Yield of FilmArray GI Panel in Hospitalized Patients with Diarrhea: an Opportunity for Diagnostic Stewardship Intervention

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.01558-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 56 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Matthew M. Hitchcock ◽

Carlos A. Gomez ◽

Niaz Banaei

Keyword(s):

Salt Lake ◽

Diagnostic Yield ◽

Salt Lake City ◽

Stool Culture ◽

False Positives ◽

Hospitalized Patients ◽

Adult Patients ◽

Content Type ◽

Infectious Gastroenteritis ◽

Lake City

ABSTRACTThe FilmArray GI panel (BioFire Diagnostics, Salt Lake City, UT) is a multiplex, on-demand, sample-to-answer, real-time PCR assay for the syndromic diagnosis of infectious gastroenteritis that has become widely adopted and, in some instances, has replaced conventional stool culture and parasite exams. Conventional testing has historically been restricted among hospitalized patients due to low diagnostic yield, but it is not known whether use of the FilmArray GI panel should be circumscribed. Cary-Blair stool samples submitted for FilmArray GI panel in adult patients admitted to an academic hospital from August 2015 to January 2017 were included in this study. Of 481 tests performed >72 h after admission, 29 (6.0%) were positive, all for a single target, excludingClostridium difficile. When follow-up tests beyond the first positive per hospitalization were excluded, 20 (4.8%) of 414 tests were positive. There was no difference in yield by immune status. Most targets detected were viral (79% of all positives [n= 23] and 70% in unique patients [n= 14]). All four cases positive for a bacterial target could not be confirmed and presentation was atypical, suggesting possible false positives. After removing potential false positives and chronic viral shedders, the yield was 3.0% (12/406). Repeat testing performed >72 h after admission and following a negative result within the first 72 h was done in 19 patients and 100% (22/22) remained negative. The FilmArray GI panel has low yield in adult patients hospitalized for >72 h, similar to conventional stool microbiology tests, and it is reasonable to restrict its use in this population.

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Rapid Molecular Detection of Gastrointestinal Pathogens and Its Role in Antimicrobial Stewardship

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.00148-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 56 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Şiran Keske ◽

Burak Zabun ◽

Kahraman Aksoy ◽

Füsun Can ◽

Erhan Palaoğlu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Acute Diarrhea ◽

Salt Lake ◽

Salt Lake City ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Stool Culture ◽

Content Type ◽

E Coli ◽

Lake City ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT We aimed to detect the etiological agents of acute diarrhea by a molecular gastrointestinal pathogen test (MGPT) and to assess the impact of MGPT on antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP). This is a prospective observational study and was conducted between 1 January 2015 and 30 June 2017. We included consequent patients who had acute diarrhea. At the end of 2015, we implemented ASP in acute diarrhea cases and compared the outcomes in the pre-ASP and post-ASP periods. An FDA-cleared multiplexed gastrointestinal PCR panel system, the BioFire FilmArray (Idaho Technology, Salt Lake City, UT), which detects 20 pathogens in stool, was used. In 499 out of 699 patients (71%), at least one pathogen was detected. Among 314 adults with positive MGPT, 101 (32%) enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), 71 (23%) enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), 68 (22%) enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), 55 (18%) Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) (17%) Norovirus , 48 (15%) Campylobacter , 21 (7%) Salmonella , and 20 (6%) Clostridium difficile strains were detected. Among 185 children, 55 (30%) EPEC, 37 (20%) C. difficile , 32 (17%) Norovirus , 29 (16%) EAEC, 22 (12%) STEC, 21 (11%) ETEC, 21 (11%) Campylobacter , 20 (11%) Salmonella , and 16 (5%) Rotavirus strains were detected. Inappropriate antibiotic use decreased in the post-ASP period compared with the pre-ASP period among inpatients (42.9% and 25.8%, respectively; P = 0.023). Using MGPT in clinical practice significantly decreased the unnecessary use of antibiotics. Detection of high rates of C. difficile in children and Salmonella spp., as well as relatively high rates of Campylobacter spp., which were hard to isolate by routine stool culture, were remarkable.

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