Same-day metagenomic test speeds detection of hidden infections in ICU children

Great Ormond Street Hospital deployed a same-day metagenomic test on respiratory specimens from more than 100 children in its intensive care unit, enabling detection of a broad range of pathogens, including drug-resistant bacteria, viruses and fungi. The approach, which sequences all genetic material in a sample, identified infections that standard culture and PCR methods missed, influencing prescribing decisions in roughly 25% of cases.

A notable success was the rescue of 10-year-old Willow Crowther, whose severe pneumonia and cardiac arrests were traced to a resistant bacterium, prompting a change in antibiotics that saved her life. The study, published in Lancet Microbe, reported that the test detected about nine-in-ten bacteria and viruses and all fungi, as well as 50 organisms not found by routine diagnostics. Experts highlighted the test’s role in reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and its promise as an early warning system for novel pandemic-threat pathogens. The service is being expanded to around 30 UK intensive care units for both children and adults.