Direct detection of ESKAPEc pathogens from whole blood using the T2Bacteria Panel allows early antimicrobial stewardship intervention in patients with sepsis

The T2Bacteria Panel allows for fast and reliable detection of the six most common bloodstream infection pathogens. Its sensitivity of on-panel pathogens was 94% compared with blood cultures (53%). It detected pathogens on average 55  hours faster than using standard blood cultures. Given the high reliability, faster time to detection and easy workflow, the technique qualifies as a point-of-care testing approach. AbstractIn the microbiological diagnosis of bloodstream infections (BSI), blood culture (BC) is considered the gold standard test despite its limitations such as low sensitivity and slow turnaround time. A new FDA-cleared and CE-marked platform utilizing magnetic resonance to detect amplified DNA of the six most common and/or problematic BSI pathogens (Enterococcus faecium,Staphylococcus aureus,Klebsiella pneumoniae,Acinetobacter baumannii,Pseudomonas aeruginosa, andEscherichia coli; referred to as ESKAPEc) is available and may shorten the time to diagnosis and potentially improve antimicrobial utilization. Whole blood samples from hospitalized patients with clinical signs of sepsis were analyzed using the T2Bacteria Panel (T2Biosystems) and compared to simultaneously collected BC. Discrepant results were evaluated based on clinical infection criteria, combining supporting culture results and the opinion of treating physicians. A total of 55  samples from 53 patients were evaluated. The sensitivity and specificity of the T2Bacteria panel was 94% (16 out of 17 detec...
Source: MicrobiologyOpen - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research