Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare and analyze the consistency and difference between metageno-mic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and conventional bacterial culture in the detection of pathogenic microorganisms in maxillofacial space infection, as well as to provide a new detection method for the early clinical identification of pathogenic bacteria in maxillofacial space infection. METHODS: The clinical data of 16 patients with oral and maxillofacial space infections in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March 2020 to June 2020 were collected. mNGS and conventional bacterial culture methods were used to detect pus. We then analyzed and compared the test results of the two methods, including the test cycle, positive detection rate, anaerobic bacteria, facultative anaerobes and aerobic bacteria detection rates, distribution of pathogenic bacteria, relative species abundance, and resistance genes. RESULTS: The average inspection period of mNGS was (18.81±3.73) h, and the average inspection period of bacterial culture was (83.25±11.64) h, the former was shorter than the latter (P<0.05). The positive detection rate of mNGS was 100% (16/16), and the positive detection rate of conventional bacterial culture was 31.25% (5/16), the former was higher than the latter (P<0.05). The detection rate of mNGS anaerobic bacteria was 93.75% (15/16), the detection rate of bacterial culture anaerobes was 0 (0/16), the former was higher than the latter (P<0.05). Using mNGS, the detection rate of facultative anaerobes in bacterial culture was 75.00% (12/16), and the detection rate of facultative anaerobes in bacterial culture was 25.00% (4/16), the former was higher than the latter (P<0.05). The detection rate of aerobic bacteria in bacterial culture was 12.50% (1/16), the former was higher than the latter (P>0.05). mNGS detected 15 kinds of pathogenic bacteria, among which 3 were Gram positive, 12 were Gram negative, 49 were non-pathogenic, 16 were Gram positive, and 32 were Gram negative, 1 was fungus. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with conventional bacterial culture, mNGS has the characteristics of short test time, high sensitivity, and high accuracy. Thus, it is a new detection method for the early identification of pathogenic bacteria in maxillofacial space infection and is beneficial to the early clinical diagnosis and treatment of the disease.