The clinical application of targeted next-generation sequencing and metagenomics next-generation sequencing in pathogenic microorganism detection

Abstract

Infectious diseases seriously threaten human health. The early detection of the causative organism and antibiotic resistance genes of infection remains a major clinical challenge. Next-generation sequencing has been widely used in diagnosing infectious diseases. Cheaper and faster targeted next-generation sequencing technology is progressively being used in clinical practice. However, the awareness among clinicians about the clinical utility of this technology is limited. The article presents the theoretical background, advantages and disadvantages, clinical applications of targeted next-generation sequencing, and its contrasts with metagenomics next-generation sequencing. It provides a reference for clinicians to select laboratory methods for identifying pathogens in clinical practice.