An Evaluation of a Syndromic Molecular Panel in Optimising the Microbiological Diagnosis and Antimicrobial Therapy of Suspected Osteoarticular Infections in Paediatric Patients
<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Paediatric osteoarticular infections (POAIs) present unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Microbiological culture (MC) is typically time-consuming and lacks sensitivity, especially when patients have received antibiotics. The BIOFIRE<sup>®<...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Diagnostics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/5/566 |
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| Summary: | <b>Background/Objectives:</b> Paediatric osteoarticular infections (POAIs) present unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Microbiological culture (MC) is typically time-consuming and lacks sensitivity, especially when patients have received antibiotics. The BIOFIRE<sup>®</sup> Joint Infection Panel (BJIP) is a syndromic molecular assay for the direct identification of most pathogens causing POAIs. <b>Methods:</b> We evaluated BJIP in 17 synovial fluids, and then, we retrospectively assessed its utility in 93 off-label specimens (i.e., 25 purulent fluids/biopsies and 68 whole blood samples). All specimens were collected from October 2022 to March 2024 from paediatric patients admitted at the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital in Rome. <b>Results:</b> A bacterial pathogen was isolated in only one of 17 synovial fluid cultures, while BJIP identified eight additional microorganisms in MC-negative cases. The most frequently detected pathogen was <i>S. aureus</i> (44.5%, 4/9). BJIP performance in synovial fluids showed an overall positive percentage agreement (PPA) and negative percentage agreement (NPA) of 100% and 88.1%, respectively, compared to MC. All positive results (n/N = 9/17) were considered medically significant, with an increase in NPA to 100%. In purulent fluids/biopsies, BJIP and MC were concordant in 72% of cases (n/N = 18/25), with a per-sample PPA and NPA of 90% and 60%, respectively. For whole blood samples, almost all samples were negative by both methods (i.e., reference blood culture and BJIP), and the molecular test did not enable any further microbiological diagnosis. <b>Conclusions:</b> The BIOFIRE<sup>®</sup> Joint Infection Panel rapidly and accurately enabled or excluded a diagnosis of a POAI (~1 vs. 24–96 h for MC), optimising antimicrobial therapy. |
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| ISSN: | 2075-4418 |