Metagenomic next-generation sequencing for infection in immunocompromised children

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing is a high-throughput approach by which all genetic material in a biologic specimen is sequenced at a very high depth simultaneously). In contrast to targeted methods, it enables detection of nearly all known pathogens simultaneously from clinical specimens. Thus, mNGS is a useful technology to identify novel or unexpected pathogens. Previous studies showed that it is a very promising method to identify clinically relevant pathogens in immunocompromised patients. But the performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in identifying pathogens in immunocompromised children was not very clear. The purpose of this study is to assess the performance of mNGS in this population.