Long-read 16S rRNA sequencing for rapid bacterial identification in infective endocarditis
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- Identification of the causative agent is crucial for accurate antimicrobial therapy administration in infective endocarditis (IE).
- Although positive culture remains the gold standard for microbiological identification, its sensitivity is limited after antibiotic administration. Thus, molecular characterization is useful to complement pathogen identification.
- Long-read sequencing allows the analysis of the full-length 16S rRNA gene, in order to accurately identify bacteria at the species level.
- In this sense, nanopore-based sequencing is fast, flexible and easy-to-use.
- We aimed to validate long-read sequencing for rapid identification of bacterial species causing IE.