Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42589504›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of molecular sciences2026

Fast Microbiology: A Pilot Study Comparing Culture-Independent Digital PCR and Blood Culture for Pathogen Detection in Sepsis.

Maria Vittoria Ristori, Tiziana Marfoli, Marina De Cesaris, Sara Elsa Aita, Raffaella Rosy Vescio, Francesco Travaglino, Silvia Spoto, Raffaele Antonelli Incalzi, Silvia Angeletti

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of molecular sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Maria Vittoria RistoriNational PhD Program in One Health Approaches to Infectious Diseases and Life Science Research, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0886-1126
Tiziana MarfoliOperative Research Unit of Laboratory, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
Marina De CesarisOperative Research Unit of Laboratory, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
Sara Elsa AitaOperative Research Unit of General Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0009-0005-9280-3293
Raffaella Rosy VescioOperative Research Unit of Laboratory, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0009-0009-3305-6434
Francesco TravaglinoEmergency Medicine Department, Semi-Intensive Respiratory Covid Unit-Campus Covid Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9935-0665
Silvia SpotoDiagnostic and Therapeutic Medicine Department, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-8799-4997
Raffaele Antonelli IncalziOperative Research Unit of Internal Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
Silvia AngelettiOperative Research Unit of Laboratory, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.

Funding

Ministry of Universities and Research PE00000007 - INF-ACT
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) represent a major clinical challenge, particularly in patients with suspected sepsis, where rapid pathogen identification is critical for timely and appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Blood culture (BC) remains the reference diagnostic method but is limited by a long turnaround time and reduced sensitivity, especially in patients receiving prior antibiotics. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance and clinical added value of culture-independent digital PCR (dPCR) performed directly on whole blood compared with paired BC. A total of 37 samples from 27 patients with suspected BSI admitted to a tertiary-care hospital were analyzed. dPCR demonstrated the ability to detect a broader spectrum of pathogens compared with BC (34 vs. 28 species), with improved identification of fastidious organisms and fungi, particularly

Indexed as

Blood CulturePolymerase Chain ReactionSepsisAgedBacteriaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsSensitivity and Specificityblood culturebloodstream infectionsdigital PCRdPCRrapid diagnosticssepsis

Identifiers

PMID42589504
PMCPMC13466399

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.