Liquid biopsy for infectious diseases: sequencing of cell-free plasma to detect pathogen DNA in patients with invasive fungal disease

• DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2018.06.009
• Publication Date: 2018-06-22T04:22:50Z
• Authors: David K. Hong; Timothy A. Blauwkamp; Mickey Kertesz; Sivan Bercovici; Cynthia Truong; Niaz Banaei
• Keywords: Cell-free fetal DNA; Liquid biopsy

Diagnosis of life-threatening deep-seated infections currently requires invasive sampling the infected tissue to provide a microbiologic diagnosis. These procedures can lead high morbidity in patients and add healthcare costs. Here we describe novel next-generation sequencing assay that was used detect pathogen-derived cell-free DNA peripheral blood with biopsy-proven fungal infections. The noninvasive nature this approach could rapid, actionable treatment information for when biopsy is not possible.