{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T14:03:46Z","timestamp":1785333826493,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Doc Design and Informatics Co. Ltd.","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objective: Rapid and accurate identification of central nervous system (CNS) pathogens is essential for appropriate antimicrobial management. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the BioFire FilmArray Meningitis\/Encephalitis (ME) Panel compared with conventional cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis.\n\nMaterials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital over a three-year period. Cerebrospinal fluid samples were analyzed using routine microbiological methods (culture and Gram staining), cytological examination, biochemical testing, and multiplex PCR with the BioFire FilmArray ME Panel.\n\nResults: A total of 1470 CSF samples were analyzed, and pathogens were detected in 104 samples (7.1%), including 57 viral pathogens, 39 bacterial pathogens, one fungal pathogen, and six co-infections. Culture positivity was observed in one case each of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Cryptococcus neoformans, both concordant with PCR findings. Bacterial infections were associated with significantly lower CSF glucose levels (42.57 \u00b1 26.07 mg\/dL) and higher lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (320.33 \u00b1 455.76 IU\/L) than viral infections (60.38 \u00b1 18.88 mg\/dL and 53.08 \u00b1 26.85 IU\/L, respectively). The proportion of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) was significantly higher in bacterial cases. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated good discriminatory performance for LDH (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.917) and PMNL percentage (AUC = 0.834). Viral pathogens were more frequent in the 0\u20132-year age group, whereas bacterial infections predominated in older children.\n\nConclusion: The BioFire FilmArray ME Panel, when interpreted in conjunction with routine CSF biochemical and cytological parameters, provides a rapid and reliable diagnostic approach for differentiating bacterial from viral CNS infections.\n\nKeywords: Cerebrospinal fluid, FilmArray multiplex PCR, meningitis\/encephalitis, biochemical parameters.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.36519\/idcm.2026.1086","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T13:14:46Z","timestamp":1785330886000},"page":"384","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Epidemiological and Laboratory Evaluation of Central Nervous System Infections Using the BioFire FilmArray Meningitis\/Encephalitis Panel in a Tertiary Care Hospital in \u0130stanbul"],"prefix":"10.36519","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-9074-1163","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Serpil S.","family":"\u00c7u\u011flan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1307-4538","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arzu","family":"\u0130rvem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-2418-4975","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mahmure","family":"Aslan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4894-3844","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Derya","family":"\u00c7ak\u0131r-Erdo\u011fan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6456-5236","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"G\u00fcl\u015fah E.","family":"\u00d6zmerdiven","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"22401","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]]},"container-title":["Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T13:14:46Z","timestamp":1785330886000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.idcmjournal.org\/biofire-filmarray-me-panel-in-cns-infections"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]]},"references-count":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.36519\/idcm.2026.1086","relation":{},"ISSN":["2667-646X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2667-646X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]]},"article-number":"1086"}}