Why carry out this study?

Administration of antibiotics prior to lumbar puncture may lead to negative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture results

PCR-based techniques can detect small amounts of pathogen DNA independently from the growth of the microorganism causing the disease

The recently developed 16S rRNA gene PCR/NGS platform generates a highly accurate and comprehensive overview of the microbial composition of clinical samples or, alternatively, confirms the absence of bacterial DNA in culture-negative clinical samples

What was learned from the study?

The 16S rRNA gene PCR/NGS platform confirms more cases of bacterial meningitis compared to conventional culture methods of CSF

Culture-free techniques require a more prominent place in regular diagnostics of neonatal meningitis