Molecular diagnostic assays for the detection of common bacterial meningitis pathogens: A narrative review

Kanny Diallo (1, 2) , Vitalis F Feteh (1) , Lilian Ibe (1) , Martin Antonio (3, 4) , Dominique A Caugant (5) , Mignon Du Plessis (6) , Ala-Eddine Deghmane (7) , Ian M Feavers (1) , Katya Fernandez (8) , Leanne M Fox (9) , Charlene M C Rodrigues (1, 10) , Olivier Ronveaux (8) , Muhamed-Kheir Taha (7) , Xin Wang (9) , Angela B Brueggemann (1) , Martin C J Maiden (1) , Odile B Harrison (1)

1 University of Oxford
2 CSRS-CI - Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Cote d'Ivoire [Abidjan]
3 MRC - Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia
4 LSHTM - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
5 NIPH - Norwegian Institute of Public Health [Oslo]
6 NICD - National Institute for Communicable Diseases [Johannesburg]
7 IP - Institut Pasteur [Paris]
8 WHO Infectious Hazard Management [Geneva]
9 CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
10 St George’s University Hospitals

Bacterial meningitis is a major global cause of morbidity and mortality. Rapid identification of the aetiological agent of meningitis is essential for clinical and public health management and disease prevention given the wide range of pathogens that cause the clinical syndrome and the availability of vaccines that protect against some, but not all, of these. Since microbiological culture is complex, slow, and often impacted by prior antimicrobial treatment of the patient, molecular diagnostic assays have been developed for bacterial detection. Distinguishing between meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus agalactiae and identifying their polysaccharide capsules is especially important. Here, we review methods used in the identification of these bacteria, providing an up-to-date account of available assays, allowing clinicians and diagnostic laboratories to make informed decisions about which assays to use.

Mots clés: Bacteria; LAMP assay; Meningitis; Molecular diagnostics; PCR; RT-PCR; Whole Genome Sequence data

Domaines: Bactériologie

Kanny Diallo, Vitalis F Feteh, Lilian Ibe, Martin Antonio, Dominique A Caugant, et al.. Molecular diagnostic assays for the detection of common bacterial meningitis pathogens: A narrative review. EBioMedicine, 2021, 65, pp.103274. ⟨10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103274⟩. ⟨pasteur-03261542⟩