2052. Performance of the Biofire Filmarray Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel in Cryptococcal Meningitis Diagnosis

Background Diagnosing meningitis and encephalitis is challenging in the immunosuppressed population. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture is the gold standard diagnostic test for cryptococcal meningitis (CM), but is time intensive and requires a high index of suspicion. The BioFire FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) panel offers an option for rapid diagnostic testing. Recent studies suggest similar performance of the ME panel compared with CSF culture in the initial diagnosis and relapse of CM. We investigated the performance of the ME panel in the diagnosis of cryptococcal disease in patients presenting with meningitis.