Culture-Free Genomic Guided Approach for Rapid Identification of Pathogens Causing Late-Onset Sepsis and Cost-effectiveness Analysis: A Pilot Study.

This pilot study evaluates the application of Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) 16S rRNA sequencing as a rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective diagnostic approach for late-onset neonatal sepsis. By directly analyzing clinical blood samples without the need for culture, our genomic method significantly improved detection rates (52.6% vs. 21% with traditional cultures) and reduced diagnostic turnaround time (17 hours vs. 72-96 hours).