Diagnosis of Culture-Negative Infections Using a Novel Plasma-Based Next-Generation Sequencing Assay
ASM Microbe 2016 | June 2016
Summary: We report two patients in whom the etiologic diagnosis for febrile illness was confirmed with the Karius Test. The first patient had an implantable cardiac defibrillator infection. Initial blood cultures were negative but culture of the explanted device yielded S. aureus, which was identified by NGS from a plasma specimen obtained prior to device removal. The second patient had extensive cutaneous disease, which on biopsy was thought to be consistent with leprosy. NGS of plasma, however, revealed high levels of Epstein-Barr virus, which was confirmed by quantitative PCR.