Diagnostic Efficiency and Reduction of Turnaround Time in Acute Gastroenteritis: Comparison Between Rapid Molecular Methods and Traditional Tests

Rapid and accurate diagnosis is crucial for appropriate treatment and recovery in patients with acute gastroenteritis. However, the low positivity rate of tests and the time required to obtain results represent a major challenge, often delaying clinical interventions. This study evaluates diagnostic yield and turnaround time (TAT) of rapid molecular methods compared with traditional methods in cases of gastroenteritis at a reference infectious diseases hospital in the capital of a Northeastern Brazilian state, a region with limited resources. This retrospective observational study included 161 stool samples tested with the BioFire FilmArray GI panel (FAGI) (n = 161) and standard-of-care (SOC) diagnostic tests, which included stool culture, parasitological examination, and testing for opportunistic organisms (n = 154). We compared diagnostic yield measured by the total number of pathogens detected, TAT measured as time from sample collection to result, and TAT measured as time from sample receipt to result. Data were collected from medical records. FAGI showed a higher median number of pathogens detected per sample, with 2 pathogens (range 1–5), compared with a median of 0 (range 0–2) for SOC (p<0.001). In addition, FAGI reduced TAT from sample collection to diagnostic result by 18%, with a median time of 60 hours (range 5–500), compared with 73 hours (range 12–394; p < 0.001) for SOC tests. When evaluating time from sample receipt to result, FAGI reduced the time by 38%, with a median of 45 hours (range 5–500; p < 0.001). The results of this study demonstrate that the FAGI testing was significantly more accurate and faster in detecting pathogens in gastroenteritis samples, improving diagnostic yield and speed of results. Thus, FAGI could positively impact clinical practice by enabling earlier and more effective interventions.