[Expert consensus for the application of metagenomic next generation sequencing in the pathogen diagnosis in clinical moderate and severe infections (first edition)].

Metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) is a non-targeted and broad-spectrum pathogen screening technology. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that mNGS pathogen detection plays a key role in the field of clinical severe infection, especially when the severe infection was caused by rare pathogens. However, due to its high cost and high requirements of experimental conditions, it has not been included as a routine clinical test yet. Nevertheless, it can be predicted that with the decrease of sequencing cost and the continuous improvement of medical level in China, the conditions for large-scale clinical application of pathogenic diagnosis based on mNGS have gradually matured. This consensus described the expert consensus of etiology diagnosis based on mNGS in the scope of detection, rules and applications in clinical moderate and severe infections, and also looked forward to the improvement of its clinical application in the future.