AUTHOR=Michel Charlotte , Martin Charlotte , Smeesters Pierre , Goffard Jean-Christophe , Demuyser Thomas , Hallin Marie 

TITLE=Next-generation sequencing: what are the needs in routine clinical microbiology? A survey among clinicians involved in infectious diseases practice

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2023.1225408

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2023.1225408

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Background</title><p>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.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>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.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Results</title><p>According to clinicians, benefits of NGS are mostly expected in neurological and respiratory infections diagnostics.</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Conclusion</title><p>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.</p></sec>