{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]],"date-time":"2025-10-17T00:20:35Z","timestamp":1760660435136,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":13,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]],"date-time":"2025-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760572800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Infectious Disease Reports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) is a highly sensitive molecular method that allows rapid detection of bacterial DNA and resistance genes, requiring only a small blood volume. Although not a new technology, its application in pediatric patients with suspected catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) remains limited. Case presentation: A 16-year-old female, diagnosed with recurrent acute myelogenous leukemia, received re-induction chemotherapy through a peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC). The patient developed a fever, and the blood culture (BC) drawn from the PICC was positive for methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis, leading to suspicion of CRBSI. Several antibiotics were used, and the PICC was replaced. Eventually, the fever subsided, and the BC was negative after PICC removal. The levels of S. epidermidis-specific DNA sequences and mecA genes were correlated with the results of the BC and clinical course. Turnaround time was significantly shorter in dPCR (3.5 h) than in the BC (14\u201321 h); dPCR was performed using only 400 \u00b5L of blood. Conclusions: This case highlights the potential of dPCR as a complementary tool to conventional BCs in the management of pediatric CRBSI. dPCR may support rapid decision-making and monitoring of the treatment response, particularly when sample volumes are limited.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/idr17050130","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]],"date-time":"2025-10-16T12:17:02Z","timestamp":1760617022000},"page":"130","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Quantification of Bacterial and Drug-Resistant DNA Using dPCR in a Pediatric Patient with CVC-Related Bloodstream Infection"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Masato","family":"Kojima","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hiroki","family":"Kitagawa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kayoko","family":"Tadera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Clinical Laboratory, Division of Clinical Support, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan"},{"name":"Division of Laboratory Medicine, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-0578-8059","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ryo","family":"Touge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sho","family":"Kurihara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2561-2535","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mari","family":"Tanaka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8064-7677","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maiko","family":"Shimomura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Isamu","family":"Saeki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hiroki","family":"Ohge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1016","DOI":"10.1097\/INF.0b013e3181bf7bfc","article-title":"Diagnosis and management of central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections in pediatric patients","volume":"28","author":"Flynn","year":"2009","journal-title":"Pediatr. 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