Diagnostic value of plasma cell-free DNA metagenomic next-generation sequencing in patients with suspected infections and exploration of clinical scenarios—a retrospective study from a single center

This study highlights the significant improvement in pathogen detection performance by combining conventional culture with plasma mNGS detection, especially in patients with multi-site co-infections and blood infections. Early use of plasma mNGS as an adjunct to culture can better guide clinicians to initiate appropriate anti-infective therapy.