Gastrointestinal (GI) tract infections with viruses, bacteria, and parasites are among the main causes of gastroenteritis, the inflammation of the lining of the stomach and the intestines.
Diarrhea is a common symptom of gastroenteritis. Globally, diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old, killing 525,000 children every year. [1]
Molecular diagnostics, such as real-time PCR assays, have shown higher sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value than culture, allowing more accurate detection of enteropathogenic bacteria to support effective patient outcomes. [2] [3] [4]
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References:
1. Diarrheal disease. World Health Organization.
2. Özcan, Nida et al. “Culture and culture-independent diagnostic tests in Campylobacter enteritis.” Journal of infection in developing countries vol. 16,4 616-621. 30 Apr. 2022, doi:10.3855/jidc.14902
3. Liu, Jie et al. “Use of quantitative molecular diagnostic methods to identify causes of diarrhoea in children: a reanalysis of the GEMS case-control study.” Lancet (London, England) vol. 388,10051 (2016): 1291-301. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31529-X
4. Frederick S. Southwick. Infectious Diseases: A Clinical Short Course, 4e Ed. McGraw Hill, 2020.