Conventional laboratory workflows can provide extensive organism identification and susceptibility testing, but they may also introduce delays. Respiratory multiplex PCR platforms can require one to five hours, while culture, mass spectrometry and drug-susceptibility analysis for bloodstream infections may take two to four days. Gastrointestinal and sexually transmitted infection pathways may likewise take two to five days or two to three days, respectively. Such delays can force clinicians to select antibiotics empirically during the period when guidance would be most valuable. The review cites a study in which approximately 34% of patients with sepsis received inappropriate empirical antibiotic therapy, but it does not establish that point-of-care testing itself would have prevented those decisions. Point-of-care methods aim to narrow this window by moving testing into emergency departments, outpatient clinics, primary-care settings, intensive care units and, in some formats, patients’ homes.

Lateral flow immunoassay remains the most mature and widely deployed point-of-care format. A typical strip contains a sample pad, a conjugate pad with labelled antibodies, a nitrocellulose membrane and an absorbent pad. Capillary action moves the specimen through these components, allowing target antigens to bind antibodies and generate a visible line. Tests can be completed in about 15 minutes, require little specialized training and cost less than instrument-based systems, making them suitable for viral antigen screening, including combinations for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza. Their limitations are equally important. Most results are qualitative or semiquantitative, and sensitivity can fall sharply with low pathogen burden. A South African evaluation summarized in the review found COVID-19 antigen-test sensitivity above 77% at high viral loads, but 32% at moderate loads and 7% at low loads. False negatives are therefore most likely when viral concentrations are low, including early in infection. Performance also varies among products: a 2026 multicenter evaluation of five monkeypox strips found sensitivities ranging from 39.2% to 59.8%, although specificity exceeded 95% for every product tested.

Compact chemiluminescence immunoassays provide a different trade-off by replacing visually interpreted lines with light-based, often quantitative measurements. Enzymatic systems use horseradish peroxidase or alkaline phosphatase to generate luminescence, while direct systems commonly employ acridinium ester labels that produce a signal within seconds. Their broad dynamic ranges make them useful for inflammatory markers such as procalcitonin, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein, which can support patient monitoring in emergency and intensive-care environments. One Wondfo Finecare study reported precision coefficients of variation of 5% at 0.5 ng/mL and 2.5% at 0.25 ng/mL for procalcitonin. Other prototype systems have measured several sepsis-related markers from 10-microlitre samples within 10 minutes, with detection limits in the low or mid picograms per millilitre. Yet these analysers remain bench-top instruments, and reagent and maintenance costs exceed those of lateral flow strips. Calibration, quality-control materials and operator proficiency also impose barriers to decentralized deployment.

Isothermal amplification offers a molecular alternative that does not require the repeated temperature changes of conventional PCR. Techniques including loop-mediated isothermal amplification, recombinase polymerase amplification, helicase-dependent amplification and nucleic acid sequence-based amplification use enzymes to generate target copies at a constant or relatively stable temperature. RPA, for example, operates at 37–42 °C. This simplified thermal control can support portable devices and has produced some striking performance figures, but it does not eliminate assay-development complexity. Primers must be carefully designed, multiple-target assays can suffer nonspecific amplification, and quantitative output varies by method. Many studies remain at the laboratory-optimization stage or involve fewer than 100 clinical samples. A tuberculosis RT-LAMP validation estimated a 350-case sample using MGIT culture and Xpert MTB/RIF as reference methods. For SARS-CoV-2, one comparison found 96.30% positive concordance for two molecular platforms, compared with 81.48% for antigen strips, illustrating the potential advantage of nucleic acid detection while also showing that results depend on the comparator and platform.

CRISPR/Cas systems add programmable target recognition to molecular diagnostics. Cas12 can target DNA and Cas13 can target RNA; after recognizing a target, these proteins can cleave reporter molecules to produce a detectable signal. Established formats include SHERLOCK, based on Cas13a for RNA targets, and DETECTR, based on Cas12a for DNA targets. Researchers have applied CRISPR-based methods to SARS-CoV-2, monkeypox, dengue, human papillomavirus and tuberculosis. Pre-amplification with RPA or LAMP is common, while direct-detection approaches could simplify portable instruments. The review highlights substantial evidence gaps: most clinical reports are proof-of-concept or retrospective studies with small cohorts, some involving fewer than 30 samples, and few provide multicenter validation. Quantitative measurement of pathogen load remains difficult, inhibitors in complex specimens can interfere with reactions, and only a small number of CRISPR products have obtained approval from major regulatory authorities. Most remain research tools rather than routine clinical assays.

Microfluidic chips seek to compress several laboratory steps into a small, self-contained workflow. A chip may automate sample lysis, nucleic acid extraction, amplification and signal detection, using capillary forces, centrifugation or acoustic waves to move fluids without extensive manual handling. This sample-to-answer architecture reduces operator involvement and cross-contamination risks, while sealed cartridges can support decentralized testing. Commercial systems illustrate the clinical potential of the approach: the BioFire FilmArray respiratory panel has been reported to detect nearly 20 pathogens and seven resistance markers in about 75 minutes, while QIAstat-Dx can test 17 gastrointestinal targets in 80 minutes. However, commercialization remains difficult. Academic prototypes often fail to bridge the gap to reproducible manufacturing, regulatory approval and reliable performance with authentic samples. A 2026 assessment found that few microfluidic paper-based analytical devices had achieved clinical validation and true sample-to-answer performance.

Clinical applications reveal why no single technology can meet every need. Respiratory testing has moved from combined antigen strips toward portable PCR and multiplex microfluidics; one prototype detected respiratory syncytial virus, influenza A and B, and SARS-CoV-2 in five minutes, while a biosensor reported 97.22% sensitivity and 100% specificity relative to RT-PCR in 108 samples. For urinary tract infections, dipsticks remain cheap and useful for initial screening but cannot identify the organism or its resistance profile. A LAMP-based system detected seven common urinary pathogens with 91.2% overall accuracy in 379 urine samples, while the Xpert UTI assay identifies organisms and resistance markers in approximately 50 minutes. Sexually transmitted infection testing has produced specificities above 96% in a 1,383-patient multicountry evaluation of GeneXpert for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis. These results show diverse performance under varied populations and conditions; they are not pooled estimates or proof that every point-of-care test improves clinical outcomes.

The review identifies implementation as a major limitation alongside analytical sensitivity. Point-of-care tests are often intended for nonspecialist users, yet variation in specimen collection, reagent handling and reading time can undermine results. Different brands and batches may also produce results that are difficult to compare. These concerns are amplified where laboratories lack standardized training, external quality assessment, reliable supply chains, reimbursement and clear referral pathways. A Canadian survey of 4,035 community pharmacists found that 72.7% offered point-of-care services, but regulatory ambiguity, weak links to primary care and incomplete reimbursement still restricted scale-up. Even rapid results have limited value without a “diagnosis–treatment–referral” pathway: a reactive HIV result, for example, requires confirmation and a route to timely care. The evidence base itself is uneven, with respiratory infections and sexually transmitted infections supported by more multicenter validation than blood-based pathogen identification, and relatively few studies measuring effects on prescribing, cost-effectiveness or operator adherence.

Future systems are likely to combine molecular sensitivity, microfluidic automation, digital interpretation and remote connectivity. One handheld prototype using recombinase polymerase amplification and microfluidics reportedly tested eight respiratory pathogens in 25 minutes, with sensitivity above 97% and specificity above 99%. Artificial intelligence could standardize image interpretation, while mobile and internet-of-things connections might transmit results for remote review. The authors also argue that technical standards and quality-control systems must extend beyond central laboratories, with ISO/TS 22583:2019(E) and GB/Z 43281(2023) identified as relevant benchmarks. The central conclusion is cautious: point-of-care testing is becoming faster, more integrated and more capable of detecting pathogens and resistance markers, but the review identifies persistent gaps in multicenter comparisons, prospective field studies, affordable implementation and clear clinical pathways. Speed alone therefore cannot be equated with better infectious-disease care.

Subject of Research: Technical platforms, clinical applications and implementation limits of point-of-care testing for infectious diseases

Article Title: Point-of-care testing in the diagnosis of infectious diseases

Article References: Fang, Q., Lin, Y., Hu, G., Hu, J., Cheng, J., Dai, Y., Yan, L., & Wu, X. (2026). Point-of-care testing in the diagnosis of infectious diseases. Frontiers in Microbiology, 17, Article 1949318. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1949318

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1949318

Keywords: point-of-care testing, infectious diseases, rapid diagnostics, lateral flow immunoassay, isothermal amplification, CRISPR diagnostics, microfluidic chips, antimicrobial resistance, susceptibility testing, diagnostic evidence, Point-of-care, testing

The study enrolled 54 children aged under 18 years with suspected or confirmed malignancies between April 2023 and March 2025. Of these, 35 were prospectively recruited with fresh bone marrow, blood, or tissue samples collected at presentation or relapse, while 19 were analyzed retrospectively using archived frozen tissue. All cases underwent rapid whole genome sequencing using Illumina’s TruPath Genome technology, which enables on-flow-cell library preparation and eliminates separate DNA extraction and library synthesis steps that traditionally add weeks to the diagnostic timeline.

Researchers found that rapid sequencing reduced the mean end-to-end turnaround time from 42 days to just 3 days across the cohort. For hematological malignancies, where standard testing averaged 63 days, the rapid workflow achieved the same 3-day turnaround. For solid tumors, the reduction was from 29 days to 3 days. This acceleration matters enormously in pediatric oncology, where treatment decisions such as induction chemotherapy must often begin within days of presentation.

The detection performance was equally impressive. Across 104 samples representing 37 distinct pediatric cancer entities, rapid sequencing captured 147 of 155 clinically actionable somatic and germline variants identified by any method, a 95 percent detection rate. Standard NHS genomic testing detected 138 of 155 variants, or 89 percent. Seventeen clinically relevant variants were found exclusively by the rapid approach, and these additional findings directly benefited six patients in the cohort.

Among the 35 prospectively assessed patients, clinicians reported measurable improvements in care for 17 children, or 49 percent of the group. These improvements included faster access to targeted therapy, more accurate risk stratification, earlier clinical trial enrollment, and avoidance of unnecessary invasive procedures. Independent review of the 19 retrospective cases suggested that nearly half would have benefited if the rapid results had been available at the time of presentation.

Several individual cases illustrate the transformative potential of the approach. One child with pancreatic acinic cell carcinoma was found to harbor a novel NKD2-BRAF gene fusion, enabling targeted MEK pathway inhibition. Two children presenting with soft tissue lesions were diagnosed with non-malignant conditions, sparing them from unnecessary central venous catheter insertion and other invasive interventions. In one striking example, a patient was found to carry a pathognomonic ACVR1 germline variant confirming fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, a condition where even minor surgical trauma can trigger disabling soft-tissue calcification, making the diagnosis critical for avoiding harmful procedures.

For children with leukemia, the rapid workflow proved particularly powerful. Tumor-only sequencing from peripheral blood or bone marrow samples yielded minimal residual disease markers, cytogenetic risk stratification, and pharmacogenomic profiling within days from a single sample. In one infant with Down syndrome and suspected transient abnormal myelopoiesis, sequencing of a blood sample alone confirmed somatic GATA1 mutations and germline trisomy 21, supporting a surveillance approach and avoiding unnecessary chemotherapy despite a rising blast count. In several cases, blood sequencing alone provided sufficient diagnostic information, potentially sparing children from invasive bone marrow biopsies.

The technology behind the speed advantage lies in Illumina’s TruPath Genome platform, which uses flow-cell-bound transposomes to capture and tag long DNA molecules directly on the sequencing surface. This eliminates the need for separate library preparation and enables proximity information from neighboring nanowells to generate long-range genomic data. The result is haplotype phasing capability and improved structural variant detection, demonstrated in the study by the resolution of PMS2 variants to distinct parental alleles in a child with constitutional mismatch repair deficiency, confirming eligibility for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Mean sequencing depth reached 148-fold for somatic analysis and 83-fold for germline, exceeding the coverage achieved by standard NHS whole genome sequencing. The rapid workflow also performed equivalently on fresh and archival frozen specimens, including low-cellularity tumors that are notoriously challenging to diagnose. All variants identified exclusively by the rapid method were either confirmed through orthogonal testing or verified by manual inspection of corresponding standard sequencing data before being used to inform clinical management.

The authors acknowledge limitations including the relatively small cohort size, single-center design, and lack of randomization, noting that large-scale multi-center studies are needed to establish reproducibility, cost-effectiveness, and scalability within national healthcare frameworks. Nevertheless, the findings represent a compelling case for deploying rapid whole genome sequencing as a first-line diagnostic test in pediatric oncology, potentially reshaping how quickly children with cancer receive the genomic answers that guide their treatment.

Subject of Research: Rapid whole genome sequencing for pediatric cancer diagnosis

Article Title: Rapid Whole Genome Sequencing Enhances Pediatric Cancer Diagnosis

Article References: Vedi, A., Trotman, J., Dias, J. M. L., Mijuskovic, M., Choi, S., Kingham, L., Moore, R. A., Leiter, S. M., Guermech, R., Semerene, A., Grisby, A., Wool, S., Joslin, V., Mahendrayogam, A., Abrams, J., Gattens, M., Blanco, E., Dickens, E. L., Burns, C., … Rowitch, D. (2026). Rapid Whole Genome Sequencing Enhances Pediatric Cancer Diagnosis. Nature Communications, 17(1), Article 10078. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77918-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-77918-x

Keywords: whole genome sequencing, pediatric cancer, precision medicine, cancer genomics, rapid diagnostics, Illumina TruPath, NHS Genomic Medicine Service, hematological malignancies, solid tumors, targeted therapy, variant detection, turnaround time

The immediate trigger for the correspondence is a randomized, single-blind trial by Millot and colleagues, published in the same journal, that evaluated a strategy using multiplex PCR for targeted antibiotic therapy in patients with suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia or hospital-acquired pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation. The trial is one of the most direct tests to date of whether syndromic molecular panels can change what clinicians actually prescribe. Its findings, alongside earlier randomized data, form the backdrop against which the Reims team frames its argument about the gap between diagnostic speed and therapeutic action.

The technical logic behind multiplex PCR panels is straightforward. Platforms such as the FilmArray Pneumonia Panel extract nucleic acids from endotracheal aspirates or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and amplify targets for a broad battery of bacterial and viral pathogens, together with key resistance determinants. Compared with conventional culture, which requires 24 to 72 hours before organisms can be identified and susceptibility tested, the molecular route delivers a pathogen profile within about an hour of sample processing. In principle, this should allow intensivists to narrow empirically broad regimens earlier, escalate when unexpected pathogens appear, or stop antibiotics altogether when no bacterial target is detected.

Randomized evidence, however, has painted a more nuanced picture. The Poole and colleagues trial published in the Journal of Infection in 2022 showed that molecular point-of-care testing for lower respiratory tract pathogens improved safe antibiotic de-escalation in ICU patients with pneumonia, a genuine stewardship gain. More recently, the INHALE WP3 trial, a multicentre, open-label, pragmatic randomized controlled trial led by Enne and colleagues and published in Intensive Care Medicine in 2025, assessed the impact of rapid, ICU-based, syndromic PCR against standard-of-care on antibiotic stewardship and clinical outcomes in hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia. That study found effects on antibiotic use that were real but modest, and it did not translate into the kind of dramatic clinical improvements that the technology’s advocates had hoped for.

The central paradox highlighted by Goury and colleagues is that the speed of a diagnostic result is meaningless unless it is embedded in a workflow that converts information into action. A PCR result that lands in the electronic medical record at three in the morning, or that reaches a covering physician without clear guidance on how to interpret it, may simply sit unread until the morning round, by which point the theoretical time advantage has evaporated. The correspondence argues that the bottleneck in ventilator-associated pneumonia management is not analytical turnaround time but the human and organizational steps that follow: result notification, interpretation, and the willingness of clinicians to act on molecular data in the absence of conventional culture and susceptibility confirmation.

Interpretation itself is far from trivial. Multiplex panels detect nucleic acids, not necessarily viable, disease-causing organisms, so positive results must be weighed against colonization, which is extremely common in mechanically ventilated patients. Quantitative thresholds offered by some panels attempt to distinguish infection from colonization, but their performance in the critically ill population remains imperfect. Conversely, a negative panel does not exclude all pathogens, because the panels cover a defined target list. Berteau and colleagues, in a retrospective multicentre analysis published in Annals of Intensive Care in 2025, examined the epidemiology and prediction of bacteria not targeted by the FilmArray Pneumonia Plus panel in culture-positive ventilator-associated pneumonia, underscoring that a meaningful fraction of causative organisms can fall outside the panel’s detection range. Clinicians who understand these limitations may reasonably hesitate to de-escalate on the basis of a single molecular result.

Resistance gene detection adds another layer of complexity. Panels report markers such as those associated with methicillin resistance in staphylococci or extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production in enterobacterales, but the genotype-phenotype relationship is incomplete. A negative resistance result does not guarantee susceptibility to narrower agents, particularly in organisms with diverse and evolving resistance mechanisms. For intensivists trained to treat the sickest patients with the broadest initial coverage, the perceived medico-legal and clinical risk of narrowing therapy on incomplete molecular information can outweigh the theoretical benefits, leading to what the correspondence implicitly identifies as the core failure mode: results that are available quickly but are not acted upon quickly.

Prior experience during the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates both the potential and the pitfalls. Novy and colleagues described an algorithm for the rational use of the FilmArray Pneumonia panel in bacterial coinfections of critically ill ventilated COVID-19 patients, published in Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease in 2021. Their work emphasized that the value of the panel depends on disciplined, protocolized interpretation rather than on the raw speed of the assay. Where such algorithms exist and are enforced, molecular results can meaningfully shape therapy; where they are absent, the same results risk becoming an expensive add-on that changes little at the bedside.

The Reims group is not a disinterested observer of this debate. The correspondence discloses that the corresponding author, Antoine Goury, is the coordinating investigator of the VAMPAIR trial, an ongoing randomized study registered with the French medicines agency ANSM under identifier 2024-A00908-39 and sponsored by CHU de Reims, which is evaluating multiplex PCR in ventilator-associated pneumonia. This positioning suggests that the correspondence is intended less as a rejection of molecular diagnostics than as a design brief for the next generation of studies: trials that measure decision latency, antibiotic duration, and patient-centered outcomes rather than turnaround time alone, and that build prespecified de-escalation rules directly into the diagnostic pathway.

The broader lesson for intensive care is that diagnostic innovation succeeds only when it is matched by therapeutic governance. Rapid syndromic PCR in ventilator-associated pneumonia can shorten the time to pathogen identification, support safe de-escalation in selected settings, and reduce unnecessary broad-spectrum exposure, but the randomized evidence to date shows that these benefits are contingent on workflow integration, clinician education, and honest accounting of the panels’ blind spots. As Goury and colleagues conclude, faster results are a necessary but not sufficient condition for faster decisions; closing the gap between the two is now the central challenge for molecular diagnostics in the ICU.

Subject of Research: Rapid molecular diagnostics and antibiotic decision-making in ventilator-associated pneumonia

Article Title: Rapid molecular diagnostics in VAP: when faster results do not mean faster decisions

Article References: Goury, A., Caplan, M., Thery, G., Bussy, D., & Mourvillier, B. (2026). Rapid molecular diagnostics in VAP: when faster results do not mean faster decisions. Intensive Care Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-026-08631-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s00134-026-08631-y

Keywords: ventilator-associated pneumonia, multiplex PCR, rapid diagnostics, antibiotic stewardship, intensive care, de-escalation, resistance genes, FilmArray pneumonia panel, randomized controlled trial, ICU workflow, hospital-acquired pneumonia, molecular point-of-care testing

The study, published online in the journal Microbiology Spectrum on August 21, 2026, was led by Professor Hiroki Takahashi of the Medical Mycology Research Center at Chiba University, with co-authors Dr. Isato Yoshioka, Dr. Momotaka Uchida, Professor Akira Watanabe, and Dr. Takashi Yaguchi. Their approach combines selective depletion of human DNA, whole-genome amplification, and real-time nanopore sequencing into a single streamlined pipeline designed to work on samples collected while the blood culture is still incubating. The result is species-level identification of fungal pathogens with remarkably high accuracy, achieved well before conventional systems would alert clinicians that anything is growing at all.

The clinical stakes are considerable. Candida species are responsible for the majority of invasive fungal infections worldwide and rank among the leading causes of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections overall. Because different fungal species respond differently to antifungal drugs—some are susceptible to first-line agents such as fluconazole, while others, like certain strains of Nakaseomyces glabratus, show reduced susceptibility—doctors strive to identify the specific organism before committing to a treatment regimen. In the absence of rapid identification, clinicians face an unenviable choice: start broad-spectrum antifungal therapy that may be unnecessary or suboptimal, or delay targeted treatment while the diagnostic clock ticks.

Conventional diagnosis compounds this dilemma. Blood cultures require incubation until microbial growth reaches levels that automated detection systems can register, a process that alone can take one to several days depending on the organism and the burden of infection. Only after the culture turns positive do laboratory staff perform identification tests to determine which species is present. During this entire window, the patient’s infection continues to progress. The Chiba University team set out to attack precisely this bottleneck by interrogating the sample before the culture system declares it positive.

The workflow unfolds in three main steps. First, the researchers selectively break down human cells in the blood culture sample and then degrade liberated human DNA using an enzyme called benzonase, which leaves fungal and bacterial DNA intact. This host-DNA depletion step is critical: in blood, human genetic material vastly outnumbers microbial DNA, and without removing it, fungal sequences would be buried under an avalanche of irrelevant signal. By stripping away the host background, the method dramatically increases the proportion of pathogen DNA available for analysis.

Next comes amplification. Because even a depleted sample contains only small quantities of pathogen DNA, the team employs PCR-based whole-genome amplification to make many copies of DNA fragments from across the genomes present in the sample. This random amplification strategy does not target specific genes; instead, it generates enough genetic material from whatever genomes are present to support sequencing. That choice matters, because it means the method is not limited to a preselected panel of species—it can in principle reveal anything in the sample, including organisms nobody was actively looking for.

The amplified DNA is then loaded onto a portable nanopore sequencing device. Nanopore sequencing works by threading individual DNA molecules through nanoscale pores and reading their sequence as they pass through, and unlike platforms that require a completed run before results can be assessed, it generates data in real time as the run progresses. The resulting sequences are matched against a custom-built reference database containing genetic information from a wide range of microorganisms, including the fungal and bacterial pathogens most commonly associated with bloodstream infections. This combination of real-time sequencing and a curated database is what allows the workflow to deliver an answer within hours rather than days.

In tests using 48 clinical blood culture samples representing eight fungal species, the workflow achieved species-level identification within approximately seven hours. The method successfully identified a range of clinically important pathogens, including Candida albicans, Nakaseomyces glabratus, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, and Cryptococcus neoformans. Perhaps most strikingly, it detected mixed infections in some samples—involving either two fungal species or both fungi and bacteria—a scenario that conventional culture-based workflows often handle poorly, since one organism can outgrow and mask another during incubation.

Because the workflow captures the full genome of the pathogen rather than a single marker gene, it offers a bonus beyond speed: the ability to detect genetic variants in genes associated with drug resistance. That capability could eventually inform not just which species is infecting a patient, but which drugs that particular strain is likely to respond to, bringing precision medicine to an area of infectious disease where treatment decisions have long been made under uncertainty. “Our method may enable clinicians to initiate appropriate antifungal treatment earlier, potentially improving outcomes for patients with life-threatening fungal bloodstream infections,” Professor Takahashi noted. His motivation, he explained, grew from a background in sequence analysis and genomics and a desire to apply modern genomic technologies to the clinical challenge of fungal infections.

The researchers are careful to note that hurdles remain before the approach reaches routine clinical use. Further work is needed to determine the optimal timing for collecting samples during the incubation period, and detection still falters when heavy bacterial growth masks fungal signals in mixed infections. Additional validation will be required to confirm performance across broader patient populations and diverse pathogen profiles. Even so, the study demonstrates a credible path toward rapid diagnostic procedures for life-threatening fungal infections—procedures that could shorten the dangerous gap between infection and effective therapy, reduce the indiscriminate use of broad-spectrum antifungals, and ultimately improve survival for the hospitalized patients most at risk.

Subject of Research: Rapid nanopore whole-genome sequencing for species-level diagnosis of fungal bloodstream infections

Article Title: Faster diagnosis for fungal bloodstream infections

Article References: Faster diagnosis for fungal bloodstream infections. (n.d.). Original publication

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: fungal bloodstream infections, Candida, nanopore sequencing, blood culture, host DNA depletion, whole-genome amplification, antifungal resistance, rapid diagnostics, Chiba University, Microbiology Spectrum, clinical microbiology, drug resistance genes