New methodology for the diagnosis of multiple pathogens causing meningitis using the Biomark HD platform based on nanofluidic real-time PCR

• Grant number: 25/14216-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: January 01, 2026
• End date: December 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Ivana Barros de Campos
• Grantee: Ivana Barros de Campos
• Host Institution: Instituto Adolfo Lutz (IAL). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo
• Associated researchers: Daniela Mulari Ferreira ; Enéas de Carvalho ; Maria Gisele Gonçalves ; Samanta Cristine Grassi Almeida ; Simon Pieter Jochems

Abstract

In 2021, the WHO published a plan to defeat meningitis worldwide. It is still a disease of great public health relevance, with high mortality and morbidity. Vaccines produced against the main bacteria that cause meningitis are effective, but induce a serotype/serogroup-dependent response, and as a result, can promote the replacement of circulating serotypes/serogroups in the population. Therefore, constant surveillance of circulating strains and those causing invasive diseases is crucial to determine strategies for preventing and controlling meningitis, in addition to evaluating the impact of vaccines. Classical diagnostic techniques, such as those using cerebrospinal fluid samples, are employed to differentiate the types of meningitis and to presume the causative agents. Still, these techniques have many limitations, such as: (a) Lack of conclusion, when the results do not allow a diagnosis to be concluded, generating a large number of cases of unspecified meningitis; (b) Time-consuming, the need to perform the culture technique, which is the gold standard in the diagnosis of meningitis; (c) Low sensitivity, as it is often related to low positivity. Therefore, the use of faster, more specific, and sensitive techniques, such as the polymerase chain reaction, is important for better detection and surveillance of these pathogens. The Biomark HD platform is based on the real-time PCR (qPCR) methodology, with the advantage of occurring in nano chambers and using nanofluids, allowing more than 9,000 qPCR reactions to occur simultaneously with approximately 2 µL of sample, thus being capable of processing many samples at the same time and generating significant savings in reagents when compared to conventional qPCR, which is a technology that is 4x cheaper and faster. Given this, this project aims to develop a panel for the detection of multiple pathogens that cause meningitis using the platform mentioned above, which will cover the main bacteria (S. pneumoniae, N. meningitidis, H. influenzae), as well as their serotypes/serogroups, and viruses and other agents, tested with two different cohorts. With this, we will have epidemiological data that were previously unknown, and we will be able to assess the viability of this platform as a tool to assist in improved surveillance, contribute to the monitoring of vaccine performance, and assist in vaccine policy decisions. (AU)