A Molecular Toolkit for the Microbial Investigation of Severe Community Acquired Pneumonia

A Molecular Toolkit for the Microbial Investigation of Severe Community Acquired Pneumonia (S-CAP Study)

Severe community acquired pneumonia is common and associated with high mortality. Conventional microbiological diagnostics identify pathogens in approximately half of cases, which is inadequate for both clinical and epidemiological purposes. This study applies next-generation sequencing based metagenomic techniques to patients with extremely severe community acquired pneumonia, to investigate the microbiome of severe community acquired pneumonia and evaluate metagenomic approaches as diagnostic tools.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults aged 18 or over
• Admitted to a participating severe respiratory failure centre or ICU
• Admitted due to community acquired pneumonia (CAP) according to clinical and radiological criteria
• Tracheal intubation, receiving mechanical ventilation +/- ECMO
• Requires bronchoscopy as part of routine diagnostic care plan
• Bronchoscopy takes place within 72 hours of first admission to hospital

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any current or previous condition/circumstance that, in the opinion of the investigator or study nurse, may put the individual at risk if participating
• Patients receiving end of life care
• Hospitalisation within the previous 28 days (not including pre-ECMO hospitalisation for ECMO patients)
• Consent or assent not given