Shi Y, Li P
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002, China.
Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi. 2023 Apr 12;46(4):311-314. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112147-20221129-00939.
Pathogenic diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infection has always been a clinical problem. The widespread application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing(mNGS)provides a rapid and accurate method for pathogenic diagnosis. However, how to interpret the results of mNGS detection, especially whether it has diagnostic value in detecting pathogens with low sequence number, has always puzzled clinicians. This paper discusses the definition of low sequence number (lower reads)detected by mNGS in lower respiratory tract infection, the cause of occurrence, the method to determine the reliability of the results, and how to correctly interpret the low sequence number report in combination with clinical practice. It is hoped that by comprehensively mastering the detection knowledge, the proper clinical analysis thinking can be established to improve the diagnostic ability of pathogens with low sequence number detected by mNGS in lower respiratory tract infection.
下呼吸道感染的病原学诊断一直是临床难题。宏基因组下一代测序（mNGS）的广泛应用为病原学诊断提供了快速、准确的方法。然而，如何解读mNGS检测结果，尤其是其在检测序列数较低的病原体时是否具有诊断价值，一直困扰着临床医生。本文探讨了mNGS在下呼吸道感染中检测到的低序列数（低reads）的定义、发生原因、结果可靠性的判定方法，以及如何结合临床实际正确解读低序列数报告。希望通过全面掌握检测知识，建立正确的临床分析思维，提高mNGS在下呼吸道感染中检测到的低序列数病原体的诊断能力。
