Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-23-2023
Identifier
DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01652-22; PMCID: PMC10035298
Abstract
Fecal culture for isolation and identification of Shigella may take days. The BioFire FilmArray Gastrointestinal (GI) panel (bioMérieux, France) is a PCR-based assay that detects enteric pathogens including Shigella/enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC) in about an hour. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of GI panel detection of Shigella in a pediatric emergency department (ED) during an outbreak. Stool samples from children with acute gastroenteritis were tested by the GI panel. Test results were either withheld in preintervention (PRE) or reported to clinicians/families in the postintervention (POST) period. The impact of the GI panel testing on patient management and outcomes was measured. Shigella/EIEC was identified by the GI panel in the PRE (n = 30) and POST (n = 21) phase. The GI panel detected more Shigella infections than did culture; six of 31 (19.4%) Shigella GI panel-positive patients who also had stool cultures were missed by culture. Azithromycin therapy was prescribed for 20% of subjects in the PRE phase and 71.4% of subjects in the POST phase (P < 0.001). Time from the clinical encounter until starting azithromycin therapy was shorter in the POST phase (n = 9), 8.25 h (range, 6.37 to 52.37 h), than in the PRE phase (n = 1), 72 h. Six subjects in the PRE phase visited additional providers compared with one in the POST phase. Prompt diagnosis of shigellosis with the GI panel may provide the opportunity for prompt antimicrobial therapy and avoid additional visits to providers due to early definitive diagnosis. Prompt diagnosis of Shigella at an ED visit may optimize patient management and reduce transmission.
Journal Title
Journal of clinical microbiology
Volume
61
Issue
3
First Page
0165222
Last Page
0165222
MeSH Keywords
Humans; Child; Azithromycin; Feces; Shigella; Dysentery, Bacillary; Escherichia coli; Disease Outbreaks
Keywords
BioFire GI panel; GI panel; IMPACT study; Shigella detection; outbreak management; shigellosis
Recommended Citation
Kanwar N, Jackson J, Bardsley T, et al. Impact of Rapid Molecular Multiplex Gastrointestinal Pathogen Testing in Management of Children during a Shigella Outbreak. J Clin Microbiol. 2023;61(3):e0165222. doi:10.1128/jcm.01652-22
Comments
Grant support
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
Publisher's Link: https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.01652-22