Advantages and Limitations of Direct PCR Amplification of Bacterial 16S-rDNA from Resected Heart Tissue or Swabs Followed by Direct Sequencing for Diagnosing Infective Endocarditis: A Retrospective Analysis in the Routine Clinical Setting

Figure 2

Comparative presentation of PCR results with preoperative blood culture. Bars represent on a percentage basis the distribution of preoperative blood culture results (preBC), correlated with the results of PCR followed by direct sequencing. Blue shaded bars represent negative results or no available information. Red shaded bars represent a positive result in blood culture or PCR amplification. In the column on the right hand side further information is provided. The results of direct sequencing are classified according to either a concordance or discordance in comparison to the results of blood culture or as add-on information in case of a negative or not available result. An in-depth detailed comparison is additionally shown in Table 3.