Objective: Evaluation of the contribution of molecular tools to the overall diagnosis of infectious diseases in children.
Methods: Results of 16S rDNA analysis (179 children; 228 specimens), combined to specific amplification of Kingella kingae (126 children; 166 osteoarticular specimens), were retrospectively analyzed for samples with inconclusive cultures.
Result: The overall positive yield in diagnosis was 12.8% of the patients for 16S rDNA PCR, 40.5% for K. kingae PCR and 45.2% for combined use of both methods. Results were related to clinical and biological data (direct examination, certainty/uncertainty of clinical diagnosis, fever, biological markers, previous antibiotics), and to the number of samples analyzed per patient, allowing the identification of specific situations with significant contribution of PCR methods.
Conclusion: Molecular techniques constitute valuable tools to improve the bacterial infection diagnosis in children; however, specific indications, dedicated samples, and number of analyzed samples per patient are key points to optimize their contribution.
Keywords: 16S rRNA gene; DNA sequencing; Kingella kingae; PCR; children; infectious diseases.