scholarly journals Metagenomic Next Generation Sequencing in the Detection of Pathogens in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients After Alternative Donor Transplantation: A Feasibility Analysis

Author(s):  
Binglei Zhang ◽  
Jian Zhou ◽  
Ruirui Gui ◽  
Zhen Li ◽  
Yingling Zu ◽  
...  

Central nervous system (CNS) complications can occur in 9%–15% of patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The clinical manifestations of the CNS complications are non-specific, with most of them being disturbances of consciousness, convulsions, headaches, fever, and epilepsy, making it difficult to infer the cause of the complications based on clinical manifestations. We retrospectively analyzed the sensitivity and feasibility of metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) in the diagnosis of CNS infections after allo-HSCT. Lumbar punctures were performed on 20 patients with CNS symptoms after receiving alternative donor HSCT(AD-HSCT) at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from February 2019 to December 2020, and their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was collected. The mNGS technique was used to detect pathogens in the CSF. Routine CSF testing, biochemical analyses, G experiments, GM experiments, ink staining, acid-fast staining, and bacterial cultures were carried out, and quantitative PCR (qPCR) tests were used to detect cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), BK polyomavirus (BKPyV), and human alphaherpesvirus (HHV). A total of 29 tests were performed with 21 of them being positive. Of the five negative patients, three were diagnosed with a posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, one as having transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy, and one with transient seizure caused by hypertension. Fifteen patients tested positive, of which four had single infections and eleven had mixed infections. Five cases of fungal infections, six cases of bacterial infections, and 13 cases of viral infections were detected. Among the 13 cases of viral infections, ten cases were CMV(HHV-5); three were BKPyV; two were Torque teno virus (TTV); Two were HHV-1,two were EBV(HHV4), and one each of HpyV5 and HHV-6B. Thirteen patients tested positive for virus while the qPCR detection method of 6 identical specimens were below the minimum detection limit(<1×103 U/ml). The mNGS technique is highly sensitive, and it can be used to diagnose CNS infections after allo-HSCT.

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiejun Shi ◽  
Naibin Yang ◽  
Guoqing Qian

Background: Talaromycosis is a serious fungal infection which is rare in immunocompetent people. Since its clinical manifestations lack specificity, it is easy to escape diagnosis or be misdiagnosed leading to high mortality and poor prognosis. It is necessary to be alert to the disease when broad-spectrum antibiotics do not work well in immunocompetent patients.Case Presentation: A 79-year-old man was admitted to our Infectious Diseases Department for recurrent fever and cough. Before admission he has been treated with piperacillin-tazobactam, moxifloxacin followed by antituberculous agents in other hospitals while his symptoms were not thoroughly eased. During the first hospitalization in another hospital, he has been ordered a series of examination including radionuclide whole body bone imaging, transbronchial needle aspiration for subcarinal nodes. However, the results were negative showing no neoplasm. After being admitted to our hospital, he underwent various routine examinations. The initial diagnosis was bacterial pneumonia, and he was given meropenem injection and tigecycline injection successively, but there were no improvement of symptoms and inflammatory indicators. In the end, the main pathogen Talaromyces marneffei was confirmed using Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing (mNGS), and his clinical symptoms gradually relieved after targeted antifungal treatment using voriconazole.Conclusion: When empirical anti-infective treatment is ineffective, it is necessary to consider the possibility of opportunistic fungal infections on immunocompetent patients. mNGS, as a new generation of pathogenic testing methods, can often detect pathogenic bacteria faster than traditional methods, providing important help for clinical decision-making.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junyan Qu ◽  
Zhiyong Zong

Abstract Background Disseminated Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection is rarely described in immunocompetent individuals and can lead to fatal outcomes if not recognized and diagnosed early. Non-specific clinical manifestations, such as pneumonia and gastroenteritis, pose a diagnostic dilemma. Case presentation: We report a case of a 67-year-old Chinese male who presented with two months of abdominal pain, fever, headache, vomiting, constipation, and slight cough with sputum. He had been in good health and had no history of glucocorticoid use. He was diagnosed with enterococcal meningitis and intestinal obstruction at a local hospital and improved after treatment with vancomycin, but symptoms of headache and abdominal pain soon recurred. The metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of the cerebrospinal fluid using Illumina X10 sequencer revealed 7 sequence reads matching Strongyloides stercoralis. Disseminated strongyloidiasis was suspected. Next, microscopic examination of gastric fluid revealed Larvae of S. stercoralis. DNA extracted of larvae, the presence of both S. stercoralis ribosomal DNA gene and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene was identified. Disseminated strongyloidiasis was diagnosed. Albendazole (400 mg, twice daily) was used and the patient recovered gradually. Conclusions S. stercoralis hyperinfection can occur in immunocompetent individuals, imposing challenges for diagnosis. mNGS may be a useful tool for detecting rare infectious disease. The case would help clinicians to raise awareness of strongyloidiasis in non-endemic areas and reduce fatality.


2018 ◽  
Vol 80 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 283-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Wei Xing ◽  
Jia-Tang Zhang ◽  
Yu-Bao Ma ◽  
Xiao-Yan Chen ◽  
Lei Wu ◽  
...  

Background: There are sparse and limited studies on small sample size reporting the application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in the detection of central nervous system (CNS) viral infections. We assessed the diagnostic performance of NGS of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for predicting viral infections of the CNS caused by the neurotropic herpes viruses in a pilot population. Materials and Methods: We prospectively collected CSF samples from 24 patients with CNS viral infection from April 2017 to October 2018. Of the 24 patients, 19 patients were infected with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), 1 patient with HSV-2, and 4 patients with varicella-zoster virus (VZV). All CSF samples were screened for viral DNA using NGS technologies to detect viral CNS infections. Results: Of the 24 patients with confirmed viral CNS infection caused by the neurotropic herpes viruses, 10 (10/24, 41.67%) patients exhibited positive NGS results. With the help of NGS, HSV-1 DNA was detected in the CSF of 6 patients (6/19; 31.58%). HSV-2 DNA was detected in 1 patient (1/1; 100%) and VZV DNA was detected in 3 patients (3/4; 75%). The positive rate of virus detected by NGS decreased with time. The positive rates of NGS of CSF in the first, second, and third weeks were 54.5% (6/11), 44.4% (4/9), and 0% (0/4), respectively. Conclusions: NGS method is a promising pathogen detection tool for identifying viral CNS infections. It should be recommended to sequence viral DNA of CSF in the early stage of CNS viral infections.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junyan Qu ◽  
Zhiyong Zong

Abstract Background: Disseminated Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection is rarely described in immunocompetent individuals and can lead to fatal outcomes if not recognized and diagnosed early. Non-specific clinical manifestations, such as pneumonia and gastroenteritis, pose a diagnostic dilemma. Case presentation: We report a case of a 67-year-old Chinese male who presented with two months of abdominal pain, fever, headache, vomiting, constipation, and slight cough with sputum. He had been in good health and had no history of glucocorticoid use. He was diagnosed with enterococcal meningitis and intestinal obstruction at a local hospital and improved after treatment with vancomycin, but symptoms of headache and abdominal pain soon recurred. The metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of the cerebrospinal fluid using Illumina X10 sequencer revealed 7 sequence reads matching Strongyloides stercoralis. Disseminated strongyloidiasis was suspected. Next, microscopic examination of gastric fluid revealed Larvae of S. stercoralis. DNA extracted of larvae, the presence of both S. stercoralis ribosomal DNA gene and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene was identified. Disseminated strongyloidiasis was diagnosed. Albendazole (400 mg, twice daily) was used and the patient recovered gradually.Conclusions: S. stercoralis hyperinfection can occur in immunocompetent individuals, imposing challenges for diagnosis. mNGS may be a useful tool for detecting rare infectious disease. The case would help clinicians to raise awareness of strongyloidiasis in non-endemic areas and reduce fatality.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 030006052110496
Author(s):  
Zhilei Kang ◽  
Xin Jin ◽  
Na Wei ◽  
Ye Ji ◽  
Jingzhe Han

Objectives Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) is one of the most common causes of severe viral encephalitis. The characteristic manifestations of HSE include cerebrospinal fluid with mild cytopenia, dominated by lymphocytes, elevated protein, and normal blood glucose values (3.9–6.1 mmol/L). Although it is not difficult to diagnose classical HSE, diagnosing clinically atypical cases is more difficult. Methods We reviewed the results of next-generation sequencing (NGS) of CSF in a series of patients diagnosed with atypical HSE. Results Four patients lacking classical clinical manifestations of HSE, including no fever, headache, or other typical neurological deficit symptoms, 1–2 × 106 cells/L CSF leucocyte count, and no typical imaging features, were diagnosed with atypical HSE by NGS of CSF. The NGS reads corresponding to herpes simplex virus type 1 ranged from 2 to 13,174. Conclusions Mild HSE may not present with classic frontotemporal lobe syndrome and fever may not be an inevitable symptom in patients with immunosuppression. However, the possibility of HSE should be considered in patients with atypical intracranial infection, and these patients should be tested by NGS.


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):  
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.


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