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Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing Contributes to the Early Diagnosis of Mixed Infections in Central Nervous System

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Abstract

Central nervous system (CNS) infections represent a challenge due to the complexities associated with their diagnosis and treatment, resulting in a high incidence rate and mortality. Here, we presented a case of CNS mixed infection involving Candida and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), successfully diagnosed through macrogenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in China. A comprehensive review and discussion of previously reported cases were also provided. Our study emphasizes the critical role of early pathogen identification facilitated by mNGS, underscoring its significance. Notably, the integration of mNGS with traditional methods significantly enhances the diagnostic accuracy of CNS infections. This integrated approach has the potential to provide valuable insights for clinical practice, facilitating early diagnosis, allowing for treatment adjustments, and ultimately, improving the prognosis for patients with CNS infections.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81571970).

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The authors have not disclosed any funding.

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Authors

Contributions

LL: writing—review and editing; writing—original draft; project administration; visualization. JF: writing—original draft; writing—review and editing. JL: writing—original draft; data curation. NTO: project administration; TX: methodology; data curation. YT: methodology; data curation. WC: methodology; data curation. LX: writing—review and editing. SL: writing—review and editing. JZ: writing—review and editing.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Lisi Xie, Sha Lu or Junmin Zhang.

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Lin, L., Fang, J., Li, J. et al. Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing Contributes to the Early Diagnosis of Mixed Infections in Central Nervous System. Mycopathologia 189, 34 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-024-00837-2

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