Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Purifying the Impure: Sequencing Metagenomes and Metatranscriptomes from Complex Animal-associated Samples
Published on: December 22, 2014
Apparent performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in the diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis: a
Xiao-Wei Xing1, Jia-Tang Zhang1,2, Yu-Bao Ma1
1Department of Neurology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, PR China.
Introduction:
In recent years, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has become widely used in medical microbiology to detect pathogen infection.
Aim:
We aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of mNGS of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for prediction of cryptococcal meningitis (CM).
Methodology:
A comparative evaluation of mNGS (performed on CSF samples) and conventional methods, including India ink staining, culture for fungi and cryptococcal-antigen (CrAg) detection by enzyme immunoassay, was performed on 12 consecutive non-HIV-infected patients with chronic or subacute CM.
Results:
India ink staining and culture of the CSF were positive for Cryptococcus in 83.33 % (10/12) of the samples; 100 % (11/11) were positive via CrAg EIA. The mNGS results of the CSF identified DNA sequences corresponding to Cryptococcus in 75 % of samples (9/12). However, the DNA of both C. neoformans s.l. and C. gattii s.l. was detected concurrently in 33.33 % (4/12).
Conclusion:
mNGS is helpful for identifying Cryptococcus species. The application of mNGS, together with India ink staining, culture methods, and CrAg, may significantly improve the diagnostic precision in CM, thereby informing choice of appropriate antifungal treatment courses.
Related Concept Videos
Next-generation Sequencing
Next-Generation Sequencing Methods
Although all next-generation methods use different technologies, they all share a set of standard features....
Apparent Weight
Consider a person standing on a bathroom scale inside an elevator. If the scale is accurate at rest, its reading equals the...
Cranial and Spinal Meninges
Cranial Meninges
These meningeal layers cover the cranium. The dura mater is the outermost layer of cranial meninges. It is a thick and durable membrane of dense...
Apparent Weight and the Earth's Rotation
For an object on the Earth's equator, the net centripetal force that accounts for its rotation is the Earth's pull towards its center, or the weight minus the normal force that prevents it from piercing into the Earth's surface....
Pleural Disorders: Types and Brief Description
Eulerian and Lagrangian Flow Descriptions
The Eulerian method focuses on fixed points in space where fluid properties, such as velocity, pressure, and temperature, are observed as the fluid moves between these...

