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Lu Y, Zhang Y, Lou Z, He X, Zhang Q, Zhang Q, Zhao S, Chen H, Zhu H, Song Z, Zhang R, Ma C, Liu D. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing of cell-free DNA for the identification of viruses causing central nervous system infections. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0226423. [PMID: 38095471 PMCID: PMC10783088 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02264-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE This study provides significant new data on the application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to clinical diagnostics of central nervous system (CNS) viral infections, which can have high mortality rates and severe sequelae. Conventional diagnostic procedures for identifying viruses can be inefficient and rely on preconceived assumptions about the pathogen, making mNGS an appealing alternative. However, the effectiveness of mNGS is affected by the presence of human DNA contamination, which can be minimized by using cell-free DNA (cfDNA) instead of whole-cell DNA (wcDNA). This multi-center retrospective study of patients with suspected viral CNS infection found that mNGS using cfDNA had a significantly lower proportion of human DNA and higher sensitivity for detecting viruses than mNGS using wcDNA. Herpesviruses, particularly VZV, were found to be the most common DNA viruses in these patients. Overall, mNGS using cfDNA is a promising complementary diagnostic method for detecting CNS viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuying Lu
- Department of Neurology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
- Key laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology of Hunan Province, Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changsha, China
| | - Ye Zhang
- Department of Scientific Affairs, Hugobiotech Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Zheng Lou
- Department of Scientific Affairs, Hugobiotech Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Xiaomin He
- Department of Scientific Affairs, Hugobiotech Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Qinghua Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Qingxia Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Shu Zhao
- Department of Neurology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Han Chen
- Department of Neurology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Haixia Zhu
- Department of Neurology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhi Song
- Department of Neurology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Ruxu Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Caiyu Ma
- Department of Neurology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
- Department of Neurology, The Affiliated Changsha Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Ding Liu
- Department of Neurology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
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Zhu Y, Zhao W, Yang X, Zhang Y, Lin X, Weng X, Wang Y, Cheng C, Chi Y, Wei H, Peng Z, Hu Z. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing for identification of central nervous system pathogens in HIV-infected patients. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1055996. [PMID: 36458193 PMCID: PMC9705764 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1055996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Although considerable interest in metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has been attracted in recent years, limited data are available regarding the performance of mNGS in HIV-associated central nervous system (CNS) infection. Here, we conducted a retrospectively analyzing of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) mNGS reports and other clinical data from 80 HIV-infected patients admitted to the Second Hospital of Nanjing, China from March, 2018 to March, 2022. In our study, CSF mNGS reported negative result, mono-infection, and mixed infection in 8.8, 36.2, and 55% of the patients, respectively. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), positive in 52.5% of samples, was the most commonly reported pathogen, followed by cytomegalovirus (CMV), John Cunningham virus (JCV), torque teno virus (TTV), cryptococcus neoformans (CN), toxoplasma Gondii (TE), and mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). 76.2% of the EBV identification and 54.2% of the CMV identification were not considered clinically important, and relative less sequence reads were reported in the clinical unimportant identifications. The clinical importance of the presence of TTV in CSF was not clear. Detection of JCV, CN, or TE was 100% suggestive of specific CNS infection, however, 60% of the MTB reports were considered contamination. Moreover, of the 44 (55%) mixed infections reported by mNGS, only 4 (5%) were considered clinical important, and mNGS failed to identify one mixed infection. Additionally, except for MTB, CSF mNGS tended to have high sensitivity to identify the above-mentioned pathogens (almost with 100% sensitivity). Even all the diagnostic strategies were evaluated, the cause of neurological symptoms remained undetermined in 6 (7.5%) patients. Overall, our results suggest that mNGS is a very sensitive tool for detecting common opportunistic CNS pathogen in HIV-infected patients, although its performance in CNS tuberculosis is unsatisfactory. EBV and CMV are commonly detected by CSF mNGS, however, the threshold of a clinical important detection remains to be defined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunqi Zhu
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Wenxuan Zhao
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Xihong Yang
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zhang
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoling Lin
- Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xing Weng
- BGI Infection Pharmaceutical Technology, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- Clinical Laboratory of BGI Health, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yali Wang
- Clinical Laboratory of BGI Health, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- Clinical Infectious Disease Center of Nanjing, Nanjing, China
| | - Cong Cheng
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Clinical Infectious Disease Center of Nanjing, Nanjing, China
| | - Yun Chi
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Clinical Infectious Disease Center of Nanjing, Nanjing, China
| | - Hongxia Wei
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Clinical Infectious Disease Center of Nanjing, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhihang Peng
- School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhiliang Hu
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Clinical Infectious Disease Center of Nanjing, Nanjing, China
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3
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Gill AJ, Venkatesan A. Pathogenic mechanisms in neuronal surface autoantibody-mediated encephalitis. J Neuroimmunol 2022; 368:577867. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2022.577867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Bohmwald K, Andrade CA, Gálvez NMS, Mora VP, Muñoz JT, Kalergis AM. The Causes and Long-Term Consequences of Viral Encephalitis. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:755875. [PMID: 34916908 PMCID: PMC8668867 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.755875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Reports regarding brain inflammation, known as encephalitis, have shown an increasing frequency during the past years. Encephalitis is a relevant concern to public health due to its high morbidity and mortality. Infectious or autoimmune diseases are the most common cause of encephalitis. The clinical symptoms of this pathology can vary depending on the brain zone affected, with mild ones such as fever, headache, confusion, and stiff neck, or severe ones, such as seizures, weakness, hallucinations, and coma, among others. Encephalitis can affect individuals of all ages, but it is frequently observed in pediatric and elderly populations, and the most common causes are viral infections. Several viral agents have been described to induce encephalitis, such as arboviruses, rhabdoviruses, enteroviruses, herpesviruses, retroviruses, orthomyxoviruses, orthopneumovirus, and coronaviruses, among others. Once a neurotropic virus reaches the brain parenchyma, the resident cells such as neurons, astrocytes, and microglia, can be infected, promoting the secretion of pro-inflammatory molecules and the subsequent immune cell infiltration that leads to brain damage. After resolving the viral infection, the local immune response can remain active, contributing to long-term neuropsychiatric disorders, neurocognitive impairment, and degenerative diseases. In this article, we will discuss how viruses can reach the brain, the impact of viral encephalitis on brain function, and we will focus especially on the neurocognitive sequelae reported even after viral clearance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Bohmwald
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Catalina A Andrade
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Nicolás M S Gálvez
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Valentina P Mora
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - José T Muñoz
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alexis M Kalergis
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Endocrinología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Jurasz H, Pawłowski T, Perlejewski K. Contamination Issue in Viral Metagenomics: Problems, Solutions, and Clinical Perspectives. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:745076. [PMID: 34745046 PMCID: PMC8564396 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.745076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe the most common internal and external sources and types of contamination encountered in viral metagenomic studies and discuss their negative impact on sequencing results, particularly for low-biomass samples and clinical applications. We also propose some basic recommendations for reducing the background noise in viral shotgun metagenomic (SM) studies, which would limit the bias introduced by various classes of contaminants. Regardless of the specific viral SM protocol, contamination cannot be totally avoided; in particular, the issue of reagent contamination should always be addressed with high priority. There is an urgent need for the development and validation of standards for viral metagenomic studies especially if viral SM protocols will be more widely applied in diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henryk Jurasz
- Department of Immunopathology of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Pawłowski
- Division of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Karol Perlejewski
- Department of Immunopathology of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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