A genetic testing technique that helped identify the COVID-19 virus is increasingly being used to diagnose difficult infections, guide treatment and detect emerging disease threats, the BBC reports.
Known as metagenomic testing, the method analyses genetic material in a sample to identify a wide range of microorganisms, including pathogens that have not previously been discovered.
Unlike conventional tests, it does not rely solely on searching for known infections.
The BBC reported that the technique helped virologists identify the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 in late 2019, paving the way for diagnostic tests and accelerating efforts to develop treatments and vaccines.
Doctors are now using metagenomics to investigate unexplained illnesses, including suspected infections affecting the brain and spinal cord.
Such cases can be difficult to diagnose quickly because symptoms may be caused by viruses, bacteria or autoimmune conditions, which require different treatments.
Charles Chiu, an infectious diseases expert at the University of California, San Francisco, told the BBC that a test developed by his team identified hepatitis E in a patient diagnosed with meningitis and liver failure.
The patient had been scheduled for a liver transplant, but improved after receiving antiviral treatment, avoiding the procedure.
Sequencing and analysing samples can take several days, but faster machines and artificial intelligence tools are helping researchers process genetic data more quickly and efficiently.
The BBC reports that AI can filter out harmless microbes and laboratory contamination, while analysing patients’ gene activity may help doctors determine whether an infection or an immune response is causing their symptoms.
A pilot study at two London hospitals found that metagenomic tests detected pathogens missed by routine testing in 30 percent of patients hospitalised with respiratory infections, the BBC reports.
In one case, the test identified tuberculosis in a patient thought to have lung cancer, avoiding invasive surgery.
The technique may also strengthen disease surveillance.
Researchers in Singapore are analysing sewage and air samples with AI tools to look for signs of emerging viruses, cited per the report.
Wastewater monitoring could help detect outbreaks before they are recognised through routine diagnoses.
The report says traces of the virus that causes COVID-19 were found in Italian sewage months before the country reported its first confirmed cases.