Metagenomic test saves 10-year-old girl and is rolled out to 30 UK labs
A pioneering metagenomic test at Great Ormond Street Hospital found a drug-resistant infection in 10-year-old Willow and is being rolled out to about 30 UK laboratories.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A pioneering metagenomic test has been used to detect hidden and drug-resistant infections in children in intensive care, after it helped save the life of a 10-year-old girl.
Willow, 10, became dangerously ill with pneumonia in March. The infection triggered a seizure and multiple cardiac arrests. Her family were told she had a 50% chance of survival and were advised to say goodbye. The team at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London used metagenomics, a cutting-edge test, and found she had a drug-resistant bacterial infection. She needed a different antibiotic from the one she had been prescribed. Her family said the test saved her life.
Respiratory samples from more than 100 critically ill children at Great Ormond Street Hospital were sent for same-day metagenomic testing. The test works by sequencing all genetic material present in a sample, detecting bacteria, viruses and fungi with high accuracy. In a quarter of cases, the results influenced the drugs doctors prescribed.
The testing also detected 50 organisms that routine diagnostics had not identified. This suggests it could act as an early warning system for new infections. Across the UK, the test is being rolled out to about 30 laboratories. Doctors say this would allow a new mystery pathogen, including one with pandemic potential, to be detected quickly so the right measures can be put in place.
The cost of metagenomic testing is falling. One previous test cost £1,400, while the current test costs about £200. More research is needed as it is introduced into more intensive care units. Supporters say the technology will get faster, cheaper and more accurate, and could eventually replace the Victorian practice of growing bacteria in Petri dishes.
For Willow, the test was life-saving. Clinicians expect it will increasingly help critically ill patients of all ages get the right treatment.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A drug-resistant bacterial infection in 10-year-old Willow was identified using metagenomic testing and treated with a different antibiotic. | |
| Metagenomic results changed the drugs prescribed by doctors in about a quarter of cases. | |
| Respiratory samples from more than 100 critically ill children at Great Ormond Street Hospital were sent for same-day metagenomic testing. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West led with the case of 10-year-old Willow as a way to explain metagenomics, then widened to the trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital and a UK rollout. Its medical editor, Fergus Walsh, supplied the technical detail and a live two-way added context on falling costs and the need for more research. The tone was positive and explanatory, with no challenge to the claims and no separate sceptical voice.
- “The fact that they had a test there available to her I think was paramount. It saved her life.”
- “In a quarter of cases, the results influence the drugs doctors were prescribing.”
- “this test is being rolled out to about 30 laboratories”
Broadcast Timeline
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