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Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Next-generation Sequencing of 16S Ribosomal RNA Gene Amplicons
Published on: August 29, 2014
Next-generation sequencing: what are the needs in routine clinical microbiology? A survey among clinicians involved
Charlotte Michel1, Charlotte Martin2, Pierre Smeesters3,4
1Department of Microbiology, LHUB-ULB, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.
Background:
The translation of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) from research to clinical microbiology is increasing rapidly, but its integration into routine clinical care struggles to catch-up. A challenge for clinical laboratories is that the substantial investments made in the required technologies and resources must meet both current and forthcoming needs.
Methods:
To get a clinical perspective of these needs, we have sent a survey to infectious diseases clinicians of five hospitals, covering the following topics: NGS knowledge, expected syndromes and patients foreseen to benefit from NGS, and expected impact on antimicrobial prescription.
Results:
According to clinicians, benefits of NGS are mostly expected in neurological and respiratory infections diagnostics.
Conclusion:
A better dialog between microbiologists and clinicians about hopes and limits of NGS in microbiology may help identifying key investments needed for clinical laboratories, today and tomorrow.
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