Emerging Role of Plasma Microbial Cell-free DNA in the Diagnosis of Pediatric Mucormycosis

Abstract

Mucormycosis is a rare and devastating angioinvasive infection that can be challenging to diagnose due to the low sensitivity of current noninvasive diagnostics and the lack of a "gold standard" reference test. We describe a retrospective case series of children with suspected mucormycosis where plasma microbial cell-free DNA testing was utilized in the diagnostic evaluation to illustrate the ways in which microbial cell-free DNA testing can noninvasively contribute to the evaluation and management of at-risk, immunosuppressed patients suspected of mucormycosis.