Clinical Utilization of the FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Assay

Area of Science:

• Clinical microbiology
• Infectious disease diagnostics
• Molecular diagnostics

Background:

• Rapid diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) infections is crucial for patient outcomes.
• The FilmArray® Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panel offers rapid detection of common pathogens.
• Evaluating the real-world clinical utility of the ME panel is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the clinical utilization patterns of the ME panel in a hospital setting.
• To evaluate the performance and clinical significance of ME panel results.
• To determine the impact of the ME panel on antimicrobial therapy duration.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of 705 inpatients tested with the ME panel.
• Analysis of clinical indications, time to results, and antimicrobial treatment duration.
• Comparison of ME panel results with clinical and laboratory assessments.

Main Results:

• The ME panel demonstrated high overall agreement (98.2%) with clinical assessment.
• Over one-third of tests were ordered with low suspicion for CNS infection, indicating potential overuse.
• The median time to result was 1.5 hours, contributing to rapid clinical decision-making.

Conclusions:

• The ME panel's rapid turnaround time may contribute to its overuse.
• A significant proportion of positive ME panel results were deemed clinically insignificant.
• Further refinement of ME panel ordering guidelines is needed to optimize its clinical use.