Diagnostic and Therapeutic Impact of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in Tuberculous Osteoarticular Infections with Negative or Confounding Conventional Cultures
Zhirui Xue, Hongyan Li, Xianming Wang, Yuanqing Cai, Zida Huang, Wenbo Li, Yang Su, Zhaoyang Wu, Xinyu Fang, Wenming Zhang · 2026
Read Diagnostic and Therapeutic Impact of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in Tuberculous Osteoarticular Infections with Negative or Confounding Conventional Cultures by Zhirui Xue, Hongyan Li, Xianming Wang, Yuanqing Cai, Zida Huang, Wenbo Li, Yang Su, Zhaoyang Wu, Xinyu Fang, Wenming Zhang (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13544122.txt.
Description
Zhirui Xue and co-authors sequence first and culture later in hunting tuberculosis of bone and joint in a 2026 study. This infection hides well: standard cultures from the joint often grow nothing, or grow innocent bystanders that send treatment down the wrong road. Thirteen confirmed cases, spanning artificial joints, fracture sites, and native joints, formed the test.
Culture found the tuberculosis bacterium in none of the thirteen. In five, it confidently grew other organisms, a trap for the treating team. Metagenomic sequencing, which reads all DNA in the sample, named the true culprit in every case, and tissue examination agreed each time. Every patient's regimen switched from empirical antibiotics to targeted tuberculosis therapy on the sequencing result. Inflammation markers fell significantly after surgery and treatment. The authors argue sequencing deserves an early seat when cultures come back empty or odd.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Zhirui Xue, Hongyan Li, Xianming Wang, Yuanqing Cai, Zida Huang, Wenbo Li, Yang Su, Zhaoyang Wu, Xinyu Fang, Wenming Zhang |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 42 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |