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Volume 9, Issue 3 (Summer 2023)
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to compare the diagnostic efficacy of standard culture method with multiplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in examining cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples collected from patients with suspected meningitis.
Materials & Methods: A retrospective evaluation was conducted on 166 patients with suspected meningitis, who were treated in Vali-Asr hospital in Birjand, Iran between 2011 and 2020. Diagnosis of bacterial meningitis was based on CSF culture and multiplex qPCR results.
Findings: Among 166 patients, conventional methods identified causative pathogens in only 10.3% of cases, while multiplex qPCR detected pathogens in eight out of 25 culture-negative cases as well. The most common pathogens identified were enterovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex, Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Conclusion: Multiplex qPCR appears to be a more effective method than conventional culture in identifying bacterial and viral pathogens that most commonly cause meningitis. The incorporation of qPCR as a routine diagnostic method for meningitis in clinical practice could significantly enhance clinical decision-making and patient care.
