Syndromic respiratory panel (BioFire FilmArray) detects multiple pathogens simultaneously from nasopharyngeal swab. Its major limitation compared to conventional culture is:
- A Lower sensitivity for bacterial pathogens causing community-acquired pneumonia
- B Inability to perform antimicrobial susceptibility testing on detected organisms ✓
- C Requirement of 48–72 hours for result generation
- D Failure to detect RNA viruses such as influenza and RSV
Explanation
Syndromic multiplex PCR panels offer rapid results (1–2 hours) and high sensitivity for a broad range of pathogens simultaneously. However, a critical limitation is that they detect nucleic acids only and cannot provide information on antimicrobial susceptibility; if Streptococcus pneumoniae or Klebsiella pneumoniae is detected, resistance patterns remain unknown without culture and AST. This is particularly important for MDR organisms. Additionally, detection of commensal bacteria or colonising organisms may lead to overdiagnosis. Panels detect both RNA viruses (influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2) and DNA viruses.
Reference: Ananthanarayan & Paniker's Textbook of Microbiology, 11th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.