Vitreous samples and anterior chamber taps from eyes with endophthalmitis are taken during routine vitrectomy. The gathered samples are divided in half to undergo routine culture for microbial growth and nanopore sequencing with the MinION Mk1b, a commercially available device for DNA/RNA sequencing. Base reads from Nanopore sequencing are then compared with available libraries for pathogen identification. The Nanopore sequencing results for pathogens are compared versus the results of the microbiological culture of the same eye as the gold standard. Clinical features and visual function before and after vitrectomy are gathered from patient charts. Treatment is not altered due to results of the Nanopore sequencing.
In this pilot study, the feasibility of the Oxford Nanopore MinION to identify pathogens from vitrectomy samples in eyes with endophthalmitis shall be assessed. The MinION is a low cost commercially available device for DNA/ RNA analysis that, in studies, has been used for pathogen determination in various infectious diseases as well as for the genetic characterization of hematologic tumors.