Unified metagenomic method for rapid detection of microorganisms in clinical samples


Identification of respiratory pathogens with existing metagenomic methods requires multiple assays over several days, and often provides an incomplete picture. Here the authors showcase a method using nanopore sequencing to rapidly isolate and sequence RNA and DNA-containing pathogens simultaneously, generating highly accurate results compared to routine techniques. They also demonstrated that the workflow can be performed completely onsite, with preliminary results available in 30 minutes.

Authors: Adela Alcolea-Medina, Christopher Alder, Luke B. Snell, Themoula Charalampous, Alp Aydin, Gaia Nebbia, Tom Williams, Simon Goldenberg, Sam Douthwaite, Rahul Batra, Penelope R. Cliff, Hannah Mischo, Stuart Neil, Mark Wilks, Jonathan D. Edgeworth