title: Spectrum of enteropathogens detected by the FilmArray GI Panel in a multicentre study of community-acquired gastroenteritis.
abstract: The European, multicentre, quarterly point-prevalence study of community-acquired diarrhoea (EUCODI) analysed stool samples received at ten participating clinical microbiology laboratories (Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, and the UK) in 2014. On four specified days, each local laboratory submitted samples from ≤20 consecutive patients to the Austrian Study Centre for further testing with the FilmArray GI Panel (BioFire Diagnostics, Salt Lake City, UT, USA). Of the 709 samples from as many patients received, 325 (45.8%) tested negative, 268 (37.8%) yielded only one organism, and 116 (16.4%) yielded multiple organisms. Positivity rates ranged from 41% (30 of 73 samples) in France to 74% (59 of 80 samples) in Romania. With the exception of Entamoeba histolytica and Vibrio cholerae, all of the 22 targeted pathogens were detected at least once. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, Campylobacter species, toxigenic Clostridium difficile, enteroaggregative E. coli, norovirus and enterotoxigenic E. coli were the six most commonly detected pathogens. When tested according to local protocols, seven of 128 positive samples (5.5%) yielded multiple organisms. Overall, the FilmArray GI Panel detected at least one organism in 54.2% (384/709) of the samples, as compared with 18.1% (128/709) when testing was performed with conventional techniques locally. This underlines the considerable potential of multiplex PCR to improve routine stool diagnostics in community-acquired diarrhoea. Classic culture methods directed at the isolation of specific pathogens are increasingly becoming second-line tools, being deployed when rapid molecular tests give positive results. This optimizes the yield from stool examinations and dramatically improves the timeliness of diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spina
authors.affiliation: Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust, Harrogate, UK.
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.affiliation: National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cormican
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Paris, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbut
authors.affiliation: Labor Moest, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eigentler
authors.affiliation: Attikon University Hospital, Athens-Chaidari, Greece.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zerva
authors.affiliation: Attikon University Hospital, Athens-Chaidari, Greece.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tassios
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Infectious Diseases and Carol Davila University, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Popescu
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Infectious Diseases and Carol Davila University, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rafila
authors.affiliation: Turku University, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eerola
authors.affiliation: Occidental Hospital Centre, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.affiliation: Labor Dr Heidrich & Kollegen MVZ, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maass
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Aziendale di Microbiologia e Virologia, Bolzano, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aschbacher
authors.affiliation: Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: K E P
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: Franz.Allerberger@ages.at.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Allerberger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D010271:Parasites / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014780:Viruses / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Community-acquired; gastroenteritis; gastrointestinal pathogens; multiplex PCR detection; stool