Syndromic testing for increasing diagnostic accuracy in gastrointestinal infection.

Abstract

Diarrhea is a global problem that commonly occurs in cases of gastrointestinal infection. The prevalence of diarrhea in Indonesia was 6.8% according to Riskesdas 2018 data. The conventional diagnosis in cases of gastrointestinal infection is limited in sensitivity and time. This may be overcome by gastrointestinal syndromic testing that can detect a number of pathogens simultaneously in one assay. The aim of this study was to determine the role of the gastrointestinal syndromic testing panel in patients with gastrointestinal infection. This retrospective study of stool specimens performed syndromic testing and microbiological cultures at a private hospital in Central Jakarta. Of the 119 specimens with negative culture test results, syndromic gastrointestinal testing found pathogens in 46 specimens (38.7%), of which 32 specimens contained a single pathogen and 14 specimens had > 1 pathogen. The most frequently found pathogens were enteropathogenic E. coli, enteroaggregative E. coli, and C. difficile A/B toxins. Syndromic testing can increase the etiologic diagnosis of gastrointestinal infections in a shorter time period than the conventional methods.