Pneumonia Panel for Respiratory Infections by PCR : 11876

Preferred: BAL-like specimens (BAL or mini-BAL) 

     

Acceptable: Sputum-like specimens (induced or expectorated sputum, or endotracheal aspirates)

  

Volume required: 1 mL (Min: 300 uL)

   

BAL-like or sputum-like specimens should NOT be centrifuged, pre-processed, treated with any mucolytic or decontaminating agents (e.g. MycoPrep, Sputasol, Snap n’ Digest, DTT, sodium hydroxide, oxalic acid, trypsin, etc.), or placed into transport media before testing. 

    

Clients should NOT submit sputum judged to be of poor quality based on Gram stain (>25 squamous cells/hpf) for this testing due to poor diagnostic value. All specimens submitted for Pneumonia Panel testing MUST be simultaneously submitted for cultures.

Pneumonia Panel (PNPPCR) is an FDA-approved multiplex PCR panel to assist in determination of the etiology of pneumonia. This test uses a nested multiplex PCR-approach to amplify 33 nucleic acid targets directly from sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in patients with suspected pneumonia. The list of pathogens and resistance genes included in the panel are listed below:

 

Gram Positive Organisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus pyogenes

 

Gram Negative Organisms: Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex, Enterobacter cloacae complex, Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumonia, Moraxella catarrhalis 

Proteus spp., Pseuodomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens 

 

Atypical Pathogens: Chlamydia pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila and Myocplasma pneumoniae 

 

Resistance Genes (Staph aureus only): mecA/C and MREJ 

 

Resistance Genes (All Gram Negatives): CTX-M, IMP, KPC, NDM, VIM and OXA-48-like 

 

Viral Pathogens: Adenovirus, Coronavirus, Human Metapneumovirus, Rhinovirus/Enterovirus, Influenza A, Influenza B, Parainfluenza and RSV 

 

Note that the bacterial targets are detected semi-quantitatively whereas the atypical pathogens and the viral targets are detected qualitatively. 

 

Notes:

Copies/mL results generated by the FilmArray Pneumonia Panel are not equivalent to Colony Forming Units/mL and do not consistently correlate with the quantity of bacterial recovered in culture.  

Antimicrobial resistance can occur via multiple mechanisms. A Not Detected result for a genetic marker of antimicrobial resistance does not indicate susceptibility to associated antimicrobial drugs or drug classes.  

Detection of bacterial nucleic acid may be indicative of colonizing or normal respiratory flora and may not indicate the causative agent of pneumonia. For example, S. aureus or S. pneumoniae often colonize the nasopharynx whereas Pseudomonas aeruginosa often colonizes the lower respiratory tract.
 

Clients should not submit sputum judged to be of poor quality based on Gram stain (>25 squamous cells/hpf) for this testing due to poor diagnostic value. All specimens submitted for Pneumonia Panel testing must be simultaneously submitted for cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. A Detected result for a genetic marker of antimicrobial resistance cannot be definitively linked to the microorganism(s) detected. Culture is required to obtain isolates for susceptibility testing and FilmArray Panel results should be used in conjunction with culture results for the determination of susceptibility or resistance.

 

Laboratory testing should be interpreted in the context of additional clinical findings.