Comparison of 16S rDNA-PCR amplification and culture of cerebrospinal fluid for diagnosis of bacterial meningitis

Background and Early and accurate diagnosis of bacterial meningitis is critical concern. Optimum and rapid laboratory facilities are not routinely available for detecting the etiologic agents of meningitis. The objective of this study was the comparison of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay with culture, for the detection of bacteria in CSF samples from patients suspected of meningitis in Hospitals of Qazvin. 100 CSF samples were obtained and divided in two parts. One part of samples was used for standard bacterial culture and gram staining. The remaining was used for DNA extraction. A PCR assay was performed with universal primers for 16S rDNA gene of bacteria. Performance characteristics of the test were determined. The PCR method was able to detect bacteria in 36 cultures (..) positive and in 38 of 64 cultures were negative cases, showing sensitivity, Specificity of 100% and 40.6% respectively. Positive predictive value (PPV) was 48.6% and its negative predictive value (NPV) was 100%, however, Kappa coefficient showed the correlation of 2 methods to be at 0.33. There are advantages and disadvantages in performance characteristics of the conventional CSF culture and universal CSF 16S rDNA PCR. Therefore, it is recommended to use both methods in clinical practices, particularly in suspicious contaminated samples, with presumable presence of fastidious or slow growing bacteria and antibiotic consumption.