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. 2024 Apr 27;14(9):915.
doi: 10.3390/diagnostics14090915.

Assessing the Interpretation of Molecular Test Results in the Diagnosis of Bloodstream Infections

Natalia Słabisz  1 , Patrycja Leśnik  2 , Katarzyna Żybura-Wszoła  1 , Ruth Dudek-Wicher  3 , Urszula Nawrot  3 , Jacek Majda  1   4
Affiliations

Assessing the Interpretation of Molecular Test Results in the Diagnosis of Bloodstream Infections

Natalia Słabisz et al. Diagnostics (Basel). .

Abstract

A retrospective study at the 4th Military Clinical Hospital in Wroclaw, Poland, assessed PCR testing alongside blood cultures to guide antimicrobial therapy decisions in hospitalized patients, to determine how much time the results of the molecular tests preceded conventional methods. Among 118 patients, Staphylococcus aureus (37%) and Escherichia coli (21%) were the most common bloodstream infection agents. Blood cultures utilized the BacT/ALERT 3D system, and molecular diagnostics were conducted using the FilmArray platform with the BIOFIRE BCID2 panel. Methicillin susceptibility was observed in 66% of S. aureus strains, while 26% of Gram-negative bacilli exhibited an ESBL phenotype. Therapeutic decisions based on molecular test results were often incorrect for S. aureus infections, particularly MSSA (64.5%), but generally accurate for Gram-negative bacilli. The median times from positive blood culture to BCID2 and pathogen identification/susceptibility were 10 h and 52 h, respectively. Molecular diagnostics facilitated faster initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy, highlighting the need to educate medical staff on proper interpretation. Consulting within an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) could enhance the benefits of implementing molecular methods in bloodstream infection diagnostics.

Keywords: antibiotics; antimicrobial stewardship program; bloodstream infections; molecular diagnostic; sepsis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hospital wards where the examined patients were hospitalized.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Species structure of isolated microorganisms.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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