Accelerating Sepsis Diagnosis Through Culture-Free Genomics: Early Findings And Cost-Effectiveness From A Pilot Study
<h3 dir="ltr">Background</h3><p dir="ltr">Neonatal sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, with 1.3 million annual cases and over 200,000 sepsis-related neonatal deaths. Premature infants are particularly vulnerable, especially in neonatal inten...
محفوظ في:
| المؤلف الرئيسي: | |
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| مؤلفون آخرون: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
| منشور في: |
2025
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| الوسوم: |
إضافة وسم
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| الملخص: | <h3 dir="ltr">Background</h3><p dir="ltr">Neonatal sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, with 1.3 million annual cases and over 200,000 sepsis-related neonatal deaths. Premature infants are particularly vulnerable, especially in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Timely and accurate pathogen identification is essential to improve outcomes. We hypothesized that a culture-free, genomic guided diagnostic strategy for late-onset sepsis is feasible and could accelerate pathogen identification in clinical settings. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and utility of Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) 16S rRNA sequencing, coupled with the EPI2ME 16S QULSS2025 workflow, for real-time pathogen detection directly from blood samples, alongside a cost-effectiveness assessment. </p><h3 dir="ltr">Methods</h3><p dir="ltr">Blood samples from 19 NICU neonates with suspected late-onset sepsis were analyzed using ONT’s 16S rRNA Barcoding Kit. Sequencing was performed on an ONT flow cell, with real-time analysis using the EPI2ME platform, Minimap2 aligner, and NCBI RefSeq database. Cost-effectiveness was evaluated from a public healthcare perspective using the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and Monte Carlo simulations. </p><h3 dir="ltr">Results</h3><p dir="ltr">ONT sequencing identified pathogens in 10/19 (52.6%) samples, including <i>Burkholderia cepacia</i> (n=6), <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> (n=2), <i>Staphylococcus haemolyticus</i> (n=1), and <i>Campylobacter ureolyticus</i> (n=1). Blood cultures were positive in only 4/19 (21%) samples, while both methods were negative in 7 cases. Turnaround time was significantly shorter with ONT (17 hours vs. 72–96 hours). Genomic testing was also more cost-effective, saving 3,335 QAR (≈ $ 914 USD) per case. </p><h3 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h3><p dir="ltr">ONT-based 16S rRNA sequencing offers a rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective alternative to traditional blood cultures for diagnosing neonatal sepsis, with the potential to significantly improve clinical outcomes in NICU settings.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Conference information: 18th Edition of the Qatar University Life Sciences Symposium Bio-Environment: Advances and Innovations. (26 - 27 Nov 2025, Qatar University, Doha - Qatar)<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p><p dir="ltr">See the conference information on the organizer's website: <a href="https://www.qu.edu.qa/en-us/conference/QULSS2025/Pages/default.aspx" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://www.qu.edu.qa/en-us/conference/QULSS2025/Pages/default.aspx</a></p> |
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