Clinical evaluation of negative mNGS reports in sterile body fluids and tissues

There is little research on the diagnostic value of mNGS negative results in clinical practice, especially for sterile body fluids. In our study, plasma mNGS negative results have the highest diagnostic accuracy for excluding infection. However, the CSF and others mNGS false-negative rates are relatively high. We analyzed that sampling within 24 hours after the onset of infection symptoms and before empirical antibacterial treatment can improve the accuracy of mNGS, helping clinical diagnosis and targeted treatment faster.