Evaluation of whole-genome sequencing as a Prognostic Tool in biofilm-associated infection

Arjun Chatterjee; R. Chatterjee; P. Mehta

doi:10.5281/zenodo.22812752

Authors

Arjun Chatterjee Department of Medical Microbiology, Ob Institute for Advanced Medical Microbiology Author https://orcid.org/3084-9859-3385-1747
R. Chatterjee Department of Medical Microbiology, Oder Institute for Advanced Medical Microbiology Author https://orcid.org/7360-5804-7910-1164
P. Mehta Department of Medical Microbiology, Ganges Center for Medical Microbiology Author https://orcid.org/8242-2284-5561-9989

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22812752

Keywords:

whole-genome sequencing, biofilm, prognosis, antimicrobial resistance, device-associated infection

Abstract

Graphical abstract

Background: Biofilm-associated infection, spanning prosthetic-joint, wound, catheter and cystic fibrosis airway disease, resists conventional culture-based prognosis because resistance and persistence are population properties of the biofilm community rather than single-isolate traits [1,7].

Objective: This review evaluates whether whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of clinical isolates provides a more accurate and more timely prognostic signal for clinical outcome in biofilm-associated infection than conventional phenotypic microbiology.

Methods: We synthesized peer-reviewed literature on biofilm pathogenesis and antimicrobial tolerance, device- and wound-associated biofilm infection management, and clinical bacterial whole-genome sequencing, comparing reported genomic prognostic concordance and turnaround time against conventional culture and susceptibility testing across four biofilm infection syndromes.

Findings: WGS-derived genomic profiles - biofilm-regulatory locus status and full resistome content - tracked 30-day outcome more closely than conventional culture, largest in prosthetic-joint infection [14,15,16], and returned results in roughly 24-36 hours against 48-96 hours for conventional testing [19,21,25].

Conclusions: WGS shows consistent prognostic and timeliness advantages over conventional microbiology in biofilm-associated infection and merits prospective validation as a routine adjunct [22,23].

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