Syndromic testing for the diagnosis of infectious diseases: the right test if used for the right patient
Published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Point of care testing for infectious disease: ownership and quality
Published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Traditionally, diagnosis of acute infections has been organism-growth based, which makes timely and actionable infection diagnosis a major challenge. In addition, traditional microbial detection methods, including direct microscopy, are not suited for outsourcing to clinical, non-laboratory-educated personnel. Optimal management of patients with kn...
SARS-CoV-2 coinfection with additional respiratory virus does not predict severe disease: a retrospective cohort study
...Published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) claimed over 4 million lives by July 2021 and continues to pose a serious public health threat. Objectives Our retrospective study utilized respiratory pathogen panel (RPP) results in patients with SARS-CoV-2 to determi...
A discussion of syndromic molecular testing for clinical care
Published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Current molecular detection methods for single or multiplex pathogens by real-time PCR generally offer great sensitivity and specificity. However, many infectious pathogens often result in very similar clinical presentations, complicating the test-order for physicians who have to narrow down the causative agent prior to in-house PCR testing. As a c...
Added value of rapid respiratory syndromic testing at point of care versus central laboratory testing: a controlled clin...
...Published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Background Virus-associated respiratory infections are in the spotlight with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the expanding use of multiplex PCR (mPCR). The impact of molecular testing as a point-of-care test (POCT) in the emergency department (ED) is still unclear. Objectives To compare the impact of a syndromic test performed in the ED as a POCT a...
Verification of analytical bacterial spectrum of QIAstat-Dx ® GI V2 and Novodiag ® Bacterial GE+ V2-0 diagnostic panels
Published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Background Implementing multiplex PCR or syndromic panel-based testing platforms to detect microbial species that cause acute diarrhoea may guide patient management more effectively and efficiently. Objectives To assess and compare the performance of two syndromic panel-based testing systems, QIAstat-Dx® Gastrointestinal Panel V2 (QGI) and the Novo...
Syndromic diagnostic testing: a new way to approach patient care in the treatment of infectious diseases
Published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Advanced microbiology technologies such as multiplex molecular assays (i.e. syndromic diagnostic tests) are a novel approach to the rapid diagnosis of common infectious diseases. As the global burden of antimicrobial resistance continues to rise, the judicious use of antimicrobials is of utmost importance. Syndromic panels are now being recognized ...
Systematic review on the association between respiratory virus real-time PCR cycle threshold values and clinical present...
Published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Objectives It is unclear whether real-time (rt)-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values can be utilized to guide clinical and infection-control decisions. This systematic review assesses the association between respiratory pathogen rt-PCR Ct values and clinical presentation or outcomes. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane library databases on ...
Gastric acid suppression, lifestyle factors and intestinal carriage of ESBL and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales...
Published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Background Gastric acid-suppressive therapy has been suggested to increase the risk for intestinal carriage of MDR Enterobacterales, but there is scarce community-based evidence substantiating this risk. Objectives To investigate if acid-suppressant use is associated with a risk of intestinal carriage of ESBL and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacte...
EQUAL Score Scedosporiosis/Lomentosporiosis 2021: a European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM) tool to quantify g...
Published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Background Invasive scedosporiosis and lomentosporiosis are life-threatening fungal infections in immunocompromised patients with complex diagnostic and treatment patterns. Objectives To develop a scoring tool to facilitate and quantify adherence to current guideline recommendations for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of invasive scedosporiosis ...
