Skip to main content
. 2022 Oct 7;55(6):985–992. doi: 10.1016/j.jmii.2022.09.006

Table 2.

Comparison of different diagnostic methods used in COVID-19 associated bacterial infections (CABI).

Methods Advantage Disadvantage
Conventional cultures
  • -

    Able to identify causative pathogen and determine antibiotic susceptibility
  • -

    Need to differentiate colonization from infection
Syndromic diagnostic testing
  • -

    Short turnaround time

  • -

    Can identify some fastidious microorganisms and common resistance target genes
  • -

    Need to differentiate colonization from infection

  • -

    High cost
Procalcitonin
  • -

    Can be used to guide discontinuation of antibiotics under adequate infection source control
  • -

    Low specificity in COVID-19 patients
Serology testing
  • -

    Can be used to aid diagnosis of atypical bacterial pneumonia with compatible clinical presentation

  • -

    Pneumococcal and Legionella urinary Ag for rapid diagnosis
  • -

    Cross-reactivity of antibodies during SARS-CoV-2 infection should be considered