Evaluating Seqstant LiveGene Analysis in real-time assessment of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) data from respiratory samples

BACKGROUND: The detection of pathogens causing infections by conventional diagnostic methods can be challenging and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology offers a promising alternative method. In this study, we evaluated the performance of real-time metagenomic next-generation sequencing (rt-mNGS) for the detection of pathogens in respiratory samples. METHOD: We used rt-mNGS, using the Seqstant LiveGene Analysis platform, on 335 respiratory samples in comparison to conventional culture results. RESULTS: We observed an overall good concordance in 71.64% (240/335) of the methods. The rt-mNGS outperformed the gold standard culture in 16.12% (54/335) of the samples, while the culture was superior in detecting the clinically relevant pathogen in 12.24% (41/335) of the samples. The non-inferiority of rt-mNGS was statistically significant (

• Boutin, S.
• Klein, S.
• Untergasser, G.
• Loka, T. P.
• Jakob, S.
• Caf, Y.
• Khatamzas, E.
• Knabl, L.
• Wrettos, G.
• Knobloch, H.
• Nurjadi, D.