MicroGenDX Blog

Proper identification of the causative agent in question is critical to ensure appropriate and effective treatment since drug susceptibility profiles can differ drastically among subspecies. Depending on the specific mycobacterial species present in a sample, antibiotic treatment will differ significantly.

In several recent award-winning studies, researchers relied on MicroGenDX’s next-generation sequencing DNA diagnostic testing (NGS testing) to precisely test infections for the presence of key compounds. Without NGS testing, there is a potential that these researchers would not have been able to adequately detect these various substances, which would hinder their ability to conduct their respective studies. What Is Next-Generation Sequencing DNA Diagnostics? MicroGenDX’s next-generation sequencing testing is a type of molecular diagnostics that “extracts DNA from a sample to look for the presence of more than 50,000 species of bacteria and fungi in its database.”1 This process ensures that […]

Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) can be used to diagnose infectious diseases more rapidly and more accurately than traditional methods such as cultures, gram staining, and other biochemical and molecular tests that are organism-specific. In one reported case, NGS correctly identified the infectious organism after nearly 40 different diagnostic tests on 10 sample types. In another scenario, in cases of sepsis, timely targeted treatment with rapid identification of the microbial pathogen can be lifesaving. Instead of delaying diagnosis by ordering and waiting for organism-specific microbiology identification and susceptibility results, MicroGenDX’s qPCR+NGS can identify the bacterial, viral, or fungal source of infection and […]

Thanks to advances in sequencing technologies, the complete genome of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus was determined rapidly at the outset of the pandemic. This has proven essential in understanding how SARS-CoV-2 infects humans and causes disease. The SARS-CoV-2 genome contains genetic information for the production of viral spike protein (S protein), which is needed for the virus to attach to and infect human cells. Each viral particle is covered by numerous S proteins, allowing it to bind to a unique protein receptor found on cells in the body. Genomic surveillance — the identification, tracking and monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants — […]

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) continue to pose a substantial healthcare burden worldwide and remain to be one of the most frequent infections seen globally. In the U.S., both adult male and female UTIs account for the most clinic visits every year. According to data gathered by the NIH, around 7 million annual clinic visits were due to UTIs, and there were more than 1 million UTI cases among children. UTIs also accounted for about 1 million urgent care visits and 100,000 hospitalization cases every year. Because UTIs are often treated empirically — where patients are often prescribed antibiotics without a […]