Characteristics of Rickettsia typhi Infections Detected with Next-Generation Sequencing of Microbial Cell-Free Deoxyribonucleic Acid in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Fernando H Centeno; Todd Lasco; Asim A Ahmed; Mayar Al Mohajer

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofab147

Characteristics of Rickettsia typhi Infections Detected with Next-Generation Sequencing of Microbial Cell-Free Deoxyribonucleic Acid in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021 Mar 26;8(7):ofab147. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab147. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Authors

Fernando H Centeno¹, Todd Lasco^{2

3}, Asim A Ahmed⁴, Mayar Al Mohajer^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
² Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
³ Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
⁴ Medical Affairs, Karius, Redwood City, California, USA.

Abstract

We present 10 patients with Rickettsia typhi infection in whom next-generation sequencing of microbial cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (mcfDNA) was used as a diagnostic tool. Rickettsia typhi mcfDNA was detected in all cases and was more rapid and specific than rickettsial serology. Rickettsia typhi mcfDNA impacted antibiotic management in 50% of patients.

Keywords: Rickettsia typhi; clinical characteristics; murine typhus; next-generation sequencing.