From Chart Biopsy to Liquid Biopsy: Evaluating the Diagnostic Yield and Clinical Impact of Plasma Microbial Cell-Free DNA Next-Generation Sequencing in the Management of Fever of Unknown Origin.
Nischal Ranganath, Bismarck Bisono Garcia, James Vaillant, Silpita Katragadda, Melissa Kerkelis, Omar Abu Saleh, Madiha Fida
{"title":"From Chart Biopsy to Liquid Biopsy: Evaluating the Diagnostic Yield and Clinical Impact of Plasma Microbial Cell-Free DNA Next-Generation Sequencing in the Management of Fever of Unknown Origin.","authors":"Nischal Ranganath, Bismarck Bisono Garcia, James Vaillant, Silpita Katragadda, Melissa Kerkelis, Omar Abu Saleh, Madiha Fida","doi":"10.1093/ofid/ofaf038","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The underlying cause of fever of unknown origin (FUO) remains unidentified in up to 51% of cases despite systematic evaluation. Microbial cell-free DNA next-generation sequencing (mcfDNA-NGS) offers an agnostic, noninvasive approach to pathogen identification, but the utility and clinical impact of this assay in FUO remain unknown.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective cohort study evaluated adult patients referred for FUO evaluation at a tertiary medical center between November 2019 and November 2023. Patients underwent both standard microbiologic testing (ST) and mcfDNA-NGS. Diagnostic impact was assessed in 4 domains: new diagnoses, earlier time to diagnosis, avoidance of invasive procedures, and non-hypothesis-driven diagnoses. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of positive mcfDNA-NGS testing.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 176 patients, mcfDNA-NGS was positive in 44.3%, with 49% of these cases considered clinically significant. Infectious cause of FUO was identified in 39% of patients, noninfectious in 35%, and unknown in 26%. mcfDNA-NGS contributed to a positive diagnostic impact in 30% of cases, mainly by earlier diagnosis (16%) and potential for avoidance of invasive procedures (10%). Positive mcfDNA-NGS was significantly associated with higher Charlson comorbidity index score (odds ratio [OR], 1.22; <i>P</i> < .001) and white blood cell (WBC) count ≤4.5 × 10<sup>9</sup> cells/L (OR, 8.61; <i>P</i> < .001). Conversely, FUO without localization was associated with a decreased likelihood of positive mcfNDA testing (OR, 0.18; <i>P</i> < .001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>mcfDNA-NGS effectively complements ST in diagnosing FUO, providing earlier detection and minimizing invasive testing. Clinical predictors such as high comorbidity and low WBC count may guide the optimal use of mcfDNA-NGS in FUO. Prospective evaluation of optimal timing and use of mcfDNA-NGS and cost-benefit analysis in FUO is needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":19517,"journal":{"name":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","volume":"12 2","pages":"ofaf038"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11800484/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Open Forum Infectious Diseases","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaf038","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/2/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"IMMUNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: The underlying cause of fever of unknown origin (FUO) remains unidentified in up to 51% of cases despite systematic evaluation. Microbial cell-free DNA next-generation sequencing (mcfDNA-NGS) offers an agnostic, noninvasive approach to pathogen identification, but the utility and clinical impact of this assay in FUO remain unknown.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated adult patients referred for FUO evaluation at a tertiary medical center between November 2019 and November 2023. Patients underwent both standard microbiologic testing (ST) and mcfDNA-NGS. Diagnostic impact was assessed in 4 domains: new diagnoses, earlier time to diagnosis, avoidance of invasive procedures, and non-hypothesis-driven diagnoses. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of positive mcfDNA-NGS testing.
Results: Among 176 patients, mcfDNA-NGS was positive in 44.3%, with 49% of these cases considered clinically significant. Infectious cause of FUO was identified in 39% of patients, noninfectious in 35%, and unknown in 26%. mcfDNA-NGS contributed to a positive diagnostic impact in 30% of cases, mainly by earlier diagnosis (16%) and potential for avoidance of invasive procedures (10%). Positive mcfDNA-NGS was significantly associated with higher Charlson comorbidity index score (odds ratio [OR], 1.22; P < .001) and white blood cell (WBC) count ≤4.5 × 109 cells/L (OR, 8.61; P < .001). Conversely, FUO without localization was associated with a decreased likelihood of positive mcfNDA testing (OR, 0.18; P < .001).
Conclusions: mcfDNA-NGS effectively complements ST in diagnosing FUO, providing earlier detection and minimizing invasive testing. Clinical predictors such as high comorbidity and low WBC count may guide the optimal use of mcfDNA-NGS in FUO. Prospective evaluation of optimal timing and use of mcfDNA-NGS and cost-benefit analysis in FUO is needed.
期刊介绍：
Open Forum Infectious Diseases provides a global forum for the publication of clinical, translational, and basic research findings in a fully open access, online journal environment. The journal reflects the broad diversity of the field of infectious diseases, and focuses on the intersection of biomedical science and clinical practice, with a particular emphasis on knowledge that holds the potential to improve patient care in populations around the world. Fully peer-reviewed, OFID supports the international community of infectious diseases experts by providing a venue for articles that further the understanding of all aspects of infectious diseases.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
