The Diagnostic Gap

education, science · EN

Three transplant clinicians discuss how qPCR and NGS molecular diagnostics are being applied in lung transplant care, where heavily immunosuppressed recipients face some of the highest infection-related risks in solid organ transplantation and where conventional culture often falls short. The conversation covers real-world experience using MicroGenDX in both surveillance and for-cause bronchoalveolar lavage, the diagnostic yield observed against conventional culture, faster turnaround for slow-growing and hard-to-culture organisms, antimicrobial resistance gene detection, antibiotic stewardship, cost considerations, and the future of pairing molecular pathogen detection with cell-free DNA and microbiome research. The panel is consistent on one point: molecular testing complements conventional culture and clinical judgment rather than replacing them, and interpretation belongs to a multidisciplinary team. This discussion reflects the clinical experience and opinions