Rapid diagnostic tests for defining the cause of community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract

Although new platforms are exciting and do offer the promise of finally moving beyond our current very limited scope of microbiological tests, empiric therapy based on knowledge of local epidemiological data is likely to remain the standard of care until the hurdles of proven accuracy, physician acceptance and cost-effectiveness are successfully negotiated.

Antibiotic Prescribing for Adults Hospitalized in the Etiology of Pneumonia in the Community Study

“…Newer diagnostics, including urine antigen detection tests and molecular methods, can more rapidly determine etiology and may be used to better guide appropriate drug selection [7–9]. However, current methods, especially those for bacterial detection, are still limited in precision, and initial antibiotic selection in most patients remains empiric [10]. …”

Can point-of-care testing shorten hospitalization length of stay? An exploratory investigation of infectious agents using regression modelling

“…13 Community-acquired pneumonia can be identified within a few hours by new platforms: the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) platform FILMARRAY (1 h), the GeneXpert platform (2 h) and the Curetis Unyvero P50 pneumonia cartridge (4 h) can detect 17 bacterial and fungal pathogens from respiratory samples. 31 Finally, C. trachomatis is detected by a multiplex PCR assay in less than 2 h. 32 Cohen-Bacrie et al 2 report that the immediate discharge rate of patients who were admitted at the ED and tested by rapid POC methods was 2.6 times higher than that for patients tested by a conventional diagnostic procedure. Our analysis indicates that the longer the time to diagnosis, AC, the longer the after diagnosis hospitalization, CD, and, consequently, the longer the total LOS (Table 2; a 1 = 0.42).…”

Emerging strategies for the noninvasive diagnosis of nosocomial pneumonia

“…With PCR and 16S ribosomal RNA gene-based sequencing approaches, a metagenomic approach can identify bacteria, viruses, and fungi alike [88]. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis is a standard method in bacterial taxonomy and identification, and is based on the detection of sequence differences (polymorphisms) in the hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene which is present in all bacteria.…”