Whether in intensive care units, emergency rooms or for infectious diseases in general: Numerous applications are conceivable for diagnostics using next-generation sequencing (NGS). In fact, NGS platforms such as DISQVER® from Noscendo can simultaneously identify more than 16,000 microbes in just one sample, including 1,500 bacteria, DNA viruses, fungi and parasites1. What opportunities does this open up for clinics and patients? This will be discussed in many presentations at the congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), which will take place in Vienna from April 11 to 15, 2025.
Anyone who would like to find out more about the possibilities and future of NGS-based diagnostics will find the Noscendo team in the exhibition area in Hall C, Stand J13 from April 12 to 15, 2025.
Scientific oral and poster presentations on NGS with DISQVER®
Detection of pathogenic microorganisms using metagenomic next-generation sequencing in ICU patients with ongoing antibiotic therapy
Torsten Schroeder, medius clinics Nuertingen, Oral session “Translating metagenomics into clinical practice”, Saturday 12th April, 08:30 - 10:30 CET, Hall 11, Session code: OS002
In intensive care patients receiving anti-infective therapy, the rates for reliable pathogen detection in blood cultures are low. Analysis using next-generation sequencing (NGS) could provide early, reliable pathogen detection and enable more precise medical management of anti-infective use in these cases. At the ESCMID Congress, Prof. Dr. med. Torsten Schröder presents the results of a study in which 875 NGS analyses were compared with the results of standard diagnostics in intensive care patients with and without ongoing antibiotic treatment. Possible adjustments to anti-infective treatment based on NGS results were evaluated by an Antibiotic Stewardship (ABS) team.
Analysis of metagenomic pathogen detection compared to conventional diagnostics: clinical usage and relevance for patient outcomes
Ekkehard Siegel, University Medical Center of Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, Oral session “Translating metagenomics into clinical practice”, Saturday 12th April, 08:30 - 10:30 CET, Hall 11, Session code: OS002
Since May 2020, more than 1,800 infection tests based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) using DISQVER® have been evaluated in the various medical departments of the University Medical Center in Mainz. Their diagnostic performance was compared with the standard diagnostics used in the respective patients, in particular blood cultures and other culture-based methods, based on the positivity rates per blood sample. Dr. med. Ekkehard Siegel presents the results at the ESCMID congress, which show a high diagnostic and clinical relevance of NGS as a supplement in the detection of infectious diseases.
Beneficial effects of a clinical metagenomics intervention on clinical outcomes, healthcare economics, and quality of life in patients with sepsis/septic shock – Results of the DigiSep-Trial
Thorsten Brenner, University Hospital Essen, Oral session “Trials in severe infections”, Sunday, 13th April, 16.15 – 18.15 CET, Hall 9, Session code: LB004
At the ESCMID Congress 2025, Prof. Thorsten Brenner, MD, presents the final results of the DigiSep trial2 for the first time. The trial examined how the use of digital NGS-based diagnostics affects the mortality of sepsis patients, the duration of their antibiotic therapy, and their length of stay in the intensive care unit. For this purpose, the blood was analyzed with the DISQVER® platform in addition to the standard procedures. In the intervention group, which included about half of the study participants, the diagnostic results were made immediately available to the treating clinicians. Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics, DISQVER® can identify more than 16,000 microbes within 24 hours, including 1,500 described pathogens (bacteria, DNA viruses, fungi and parasites). Within a few hours, the results provide clarity about the existence, type and quantity of pathogens in the blood, so that precisely the right anti-infective agents can be used. For the other half of the participants in the control group, the analysis was carried out after the end of the study recruitment and evaluated retrospectively by an expert panel. A total of 410 randomly selected patients with sepsis or septic shock were included in the DigiSep trial at 24 hospitals in Germany.
Detection of pathogenic microorganisms using metagenomic next-generation sequencing in the emergency department
Torsten Schroeder, medius clinics Nuertingen, Poster, Monday, 14th April, 12:00 - 13:30 CET, Sector C Row 4 / 4, Poster area Hall D, Poster: P2234
In patients with signs of infection who are admitted to an emergency department, the detection rates of pathogens in blood cultures are often low. Over- or under-treatment with antibiotics increases the selection pressure on bacteria, the misuse of antibiotics and can lead to negative treatment outcomes for patients. Reliable detection of pathogens could reduce the use of antibiotics. At the ESCMID Congress, Prof. Dr. med. Torsten Schröder presents a retrospective study with 447 participants in which the results of blood cultures taken at the same time were compared with those of next-generation sequencing diagnostics. He also discusses the effects of the results on the subsequent therapeutic treatment of the patients.
1Scientific studies on DISQVER® can be found under Publications.