{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T13:28:34Z","timestamp":1786368514939,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":66,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786320000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":221,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Bacterial meningitis (BM) remains a significant public health concern in Ethiopia, particularly due to diagnostic challenges posed by limited laboratory infrastructure, late patient presentation, and technical skills required for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling. Molecular diagnostic methods offer rapid, sensitive, and specific alternatives to conventional culture.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This narrative review synthesizes available evidence on molecular diagnostics for BM in Ethiopia, evaluates their performance compared to conventional methods, and identifies barriers to implementation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A structured literature search was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science (August 1977\u2013September 2024) using the terms: Meningitis OR Bacterial meningitis AND Diagnostics OR Molecular diagnostics, including PCR, CRISPR, next\u2010generation sequencing (NGS), and MALDI\u2010TOF. The review used a repeatable research selection procedure, well\u2010defined inclusion\/exclusion criteria, and PRISMA reporting requirements. Studies from Ethiopia and other low\u2010resource settings were included. After screening titles\/abstracts and full texts, 66 articles were selected.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In Ethiopia, multiplex PCR detected bacterial DNA in 10%\u201322% of the CSF samples, whereas culture was positive in only 0.5%\u20131% of the cases, primarily due to pre\u2010admission antibiotic use. Globally, molecular panels (e.g., BioFire FilmArray ME) show &gt;\u200990% sensitivity and specificity. Advanced techniques (CRISPR\u2010Cas, NGS, and MALDI\u2010TOF) have not yet been implemented in Ethiopian routine diagnostics.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Molecular methods vastly improve the detection of BM in Ethiopia, but high costs, infrastructure gaps, and shortage of trained personnel prevent widespread adoption. Molecular assays have outstanding analytical sensitivity, but culture remains the gold standard for confirmation of the viability of live pathogens. Implementation gaps require urgent targeted investment in point\u2010of\u2010care diagnostics and specialized transport networks.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1155\/cjid\/4447180","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T12:33:53Z","timestamp":1786365233000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Molecular Diagnosis of Bacterial Meningitis in Ethiopia: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence and Implementation Gaps"],"prefix":"10.1155","volume":"2026","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0663-2837","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lema Ayele","family":"Tenkolu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0130-1599","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fikadu","family":"Balcha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_10_1_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/cmr.00070-09"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/s1473-3099(15)00430-2"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jocn.2019.03.047"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajem.2019.04.015"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_5_2","first-page":"81","article-title":"Acute Community-Acquired Bacterial Meningitis: Update on Clinical Presentation and Prognostic Factors","volume":"41","author":"Fuentes-Antr\u00e1s J.","year":"2019","journal-title":"New Microbiologica"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_6_2","volume-title":"Epidemiology and Prevention of vaccine-preventable Diseases, E-Book: The Pink Book","author":"Hamborsky J.","year":"2015"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0069783"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/s1474-4422(10)70023-5"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_9_2","first-page":"29","article-title":"Childhood Meningitis in a Tertiary Hospital in Addis Ababa: Clinical and Epidemiological Features","volume":"39","author":"Hailu M.","year":"2001","journal-title":"Ethiopian Medical Journal"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-021-06724-1"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_11_2","unstructured":"MihretW. 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