Clinical Application of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in Rapid Diagnosis and Prognostic Assessment of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis

Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) ranks among the most common causesof severe viral encephalitis. It leads to meningitis or encephalitis, with patientsfrequently encountering adverse outcomes. In this study, we utilized metagenomicnext-generation sequencing (mNGS) to rapidly and accurately detect and identify theHSV pathogen directly from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples, aiming to achieve adefinitive diagnosis for encephalitis patients.