Metagenomic next‑generation sequencing (mNGS) is an effective method that can be used for the identification of early pathogens in patients with suspected severe pneumonia. However, the potential of mNGS for evaluating the prognosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients with severe pneumonia remains unclear. In the present report, hospital‑acquired gram‑negative bacteria infections were detected in a case using metagenomic next‑generation sequencing (mNGS) in a sample of bronchoalveolar fluid. This was obtained from a 58‑year‑old male patient with traumatic wet lung after a neurosurgery. According to the results, of which the profiles of the resistance genes were detected by mNGS, drugs designed to control infection were adjusted, namely to polymyxin B (500,000 U/12 h), azithromycin (0.5 g/24 h) and ganciclovir (0.25 g/12 h). Following adjusting treatment for 8 days, the symptoms of lung infection and hypoxemia were markedly improved, resulting in the patient being transferred out of the intensive care unit 15 days after treatment. To conclude, observations from the present report suggest that mNGS is a useful method for the early identification of pathogens in patients with pneumonia caused by ARDS. However, further studies are required to identify the complementary role of mNGS in supporting conventional microbiological methods in routine clinical practice.

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