World J Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019;5(2):82-87.
Study: In a prospective cohort study, 50 chronic sinusitis patients underwent standard hospital cultures (SHC) and DNA sequence analysis as a means to identify polymicrobial pathogens. DNA sequence analysis detected 31.9% more microorganisms compared to SHC (P < 0.05). When multiple microorganisms were detected, DNA sequence analysis yielded more positive results compared to SHC (P < 0.05). Culture failed to identify the dominant species in the microbiome 53% of the time; 20% of the patients had anaerobic bacteria detected by DNA analysis missed by SHC. Antimicrobial therapy based on culture results would have been adequate for only 44% of the patients, compared to 74% based on DNA results. In patients with recalcitrant sinus disease, conventional cultures may need to be augmented with or replaced by molecular-based probes. Read Study
