Rapid diagnosis of a complex oral mucosal infection using metagenomic next-generation sequencing: a case report

The most commonly used methods for pathogen detection and identification in oral mucosal infectious diseases are DNA or RNA quantitative polymerase chain reaction detection, bacterial or fungal cultures, and immunohistochemical analysis. These traditional methods are time-consuming and can only detect one specific targeted pathogen at a time. An efficient and sensitive method with higher species richness is urgently needed. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a new method of pathogen detection with high efficiency and sensitivity. In this case report, mNGS was used to identify the pathogens in oral mucosal tissues of a patient with complex oral mucosal infections and oral leukoplakia. Candida albicans, human gamma herpesvirus 4, and many other pathogens were identified using this method. For complex oral mucosal infections, mNGS is a more efficient and sensitive approach that can replace conventional detection methods.