mNGS in Spinal infection

Spinal infections (SI) are primarily caused by bacteria, fungi, and other pathogens that invade the spinal bone and soft tissue via the blood circulation or direct attack. SI can be divided into pyogenic infections (caused by bacteria) and granulomatous infections (caused by fungi, parasites, etc.), with significant differences in antibiotic selection and treatment strategies. Therefore, the rapid and accurate identification of pathogens is essential for the treatment of SI.Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), an emerging molecular diagnostic method, allows for direct pathogen detection from biological samples without prior assumptions or reliance on traditional cultures. It can be used to simultaneously analyze thousands of DNA fragments, enabling the comprehensive detection of pathogens, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Therefore, this study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the diagnostic performance and clinical application of mNGS for the detection of SI pathogens.This is expected to provide clinicians with a more accurate, rapid, and comprehensive diagnostic tool to improve the treatment and management of patients with SI.