Table 2.

Comparison of the Pathogen Detection Techniques

	mNGS (n = 188)	Traditional Culture (n = 180)	CMT (n = 186)	P
Sensitivity (%)	65.8	21.8	38.1	< 0.001
Specificity (%)	69.2	94.7	43.6	< 0.001
Accuracy (%)	66.5	37.2	39.2	< 0.001
PPV (%)	89.1	93.9	71.8	0.001
NPV (%)	34.6	24.5	15.7	0.012

Notes: The diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy of the mNGS group were higher than those of the traditional culture and CMT groups (P < 0.001; P < 0.001; P < 0.001; P < 0.001), and the specificity was higher than that of the CMT group (P = 0.039) but lower than that of the traditional culture group (P = 0.006). Data were presented as n (%). Significance was determined using the Chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact probability method.

Abbreviations: CMT, comprehensive microbial test; mNGS, metagenomic next-generation sequencing; NPV, negative predictive value; PPV, positive predictive value.