Clinical impact of a gastrointestinal PCR panel in children with infectious diarrhoea

Objectives: Multiplex gastrointestinal PCR (GI-PCR) allows fast and simultaneous detection of 22 enteric pathogens (including Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella/enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC), among other bacteria, parasites and viruses). However, its impact on the management of children with infectious diarrhoea remains unknown.

Patients/design: All children eligible for stool culture from May to October 2018 were prospectively included in a monocentric study at Robert-Debré University-Hospital.

Intervention: A GI-PCR (BioFire FilmArray) was performed on each stool sample.

Main measures: Data on the children's healthcare management before and after GI-PCR results were collected. Stool culture results were also reported.

Results: 172 children were included. The main criteria for performing stool analysis were mucous/bloody diarrhoea and/or traveller's diarrhoea (n=130). GI-PCR's were positive for 120 patients (70%). The main pathogens were enteroaggregative E. coli (n=39; 23%), enteropathogenic E. coli (n=34; 20%), Shigella/EIEC (n=27; 16%) and Campylobacter (n=21; 12%). Compared with stool cultures, GI-PCR enabled the detection of 21 vs 19 Campylobacter, 12 vs 10 Salmonella, 27 Shigella/EIEC vs 13 Shigella, 2 vs 2 Yersinia enterocolitica, 1 vs 1 Plesiomonas shigelloides, respectively. Considering the GI-PCR results and before stool culture results, the medical management was revised for 40 patients (23%): 28 initiations, 2 changes and 1 discontinuation of antibiotics, 1 hospitalisation, 2 specific room isolations related to Clostridioides difficile infections, 4 additional test prescriptions and 2 test cancellations.

Conclusion: The GI-PCR's results impacted the medical management of gastroenteritis for almostone-fourth of the children, and especially the prescription of appropriate antibiotic treatment before stool culture results.