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PCR plays key role in diagnosing meningitis
Drew RJ. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2011;doi:10.1097/INF.0b013e318241f824.
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Polymerase chain reaction testing is facilitating the diagnosis of patients with meningitis, according to results of a study recently published online.
Richard J. Drew, MB, with the Irish Meningococcal and Meningitis Reference Laboratory in Dublin, published the results of a study that reviewed laboratory results for 266 children who were diagnosed with invasive meningococcal disease. The researchers said 63% of invasive meningococcal disease and about 70% of cases of meningitis were diagnosed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) alone.
Approximately 36% of 207 cases with bloodstream infections had both positive blood culture and blood meningococcal PCR, and only 1% had positive blood culture and negative blood PCR, according to the researchers. They said although the administration of intramuscular penicillin has been shown to reduce positive cultures, this was not the case in their study, as “the administration of [intramuscular] penicillin in our overall study population was low (28/266; 11%), and also in those patients who had attended the GP prior to admission to hospital (28/94; 30%).”
Drew and colleagues said the low rate of positive cultures could hold significance for laboratories, in that this low rate may influence their ability to monitor resistance profiles.
Therefore, they concluded, “It is essential that clinicians can access a rapid PCR testing service when investigating patients with suspected invasive meningococcal disease. Without specific PCR testing, cases of invasive meningococcal disease will not be confirmed on the basis of laboratory investigations.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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