Digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) detected bloodstream pathogens in 28% of patients compared with 4% by blood culture in a study of 149 patients. dPCR provided results in 5 hours vs. nearly 4 days for culture and identified 63 strains across 13 species, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Fourteen patients had polymicrobial infections, and patients with dPCR-positive results showed higher inflammatory markers. Nearly half of patients with dPCR-positive but culture-negative samples had prior antibiotic exposure. Lead author Min Zhao, PhD, of the Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Chenggong Hospital of Xiamen University, noted, “In addition, the sensitivity of dPCR is not affected by the application of antibiotics, which makes dPCR more promising in clinical applications.” Researchers cited limitations, including the restricted assay panel and the single-center design.

Source: Frontiers