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Updated: Feb 2, 2026

High-throughput Detection of Respiratory Pathogens in Animal Specimens by Nanoscale PCR
Published on: November 28, 2016
Added diagnostic value of broad-range 16S PCR on periprosthetic tissue and clinical specimens from other normally
A Q Reuwer1, W van den Bijllaardt1,2, J L Murk1
1Laboratory for Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Aims:
Evaluation of 16S PCR in addition to the standard culture to improve the pathogen detection rate in clinical specimens.
Methods And Results:
Microbiological culture and direct 16S PCR was performed on specimens from suspected prosthetic joint infection patients (cohort-1) and on tissues and fluids from other normally sterile body sites (cohort-2). Based on clinical and microbiological data, the detection rate for both methods was assessed, assuming no superiority of either 16S PCR or culture. In cohort-1, 469 specimens were obtained. Culture was positive in 170 (36·2%) specimens, 16S PCR detected 70 (41·2%) of those pathogens. Additionally, 16S PCR detected pathogens in 13 of 299 (4·3%) culture-negative specimens. In cohort-2, pathogens were cultured in 52 of 430 (12·1%) specimens and 16S PCR revealed those pathogens in 32 (61·5%) specimens. 16S PCR detected pathogens in 31 of 378 (8·2%) culture-negative specimens.
Conclusions:
Overall, the yield with 16S PCR was low. For cohort-1 16S PCR detected pathogens in 4·3% of culture-negative specimens, where this was 8·2% for cohort-2.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
Although direct 16S PCR cannot replace culture, it may offer a valuable additional diagnostic option for detection of difficult to culture micro-organisms in culture-negative clinical specimens.
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