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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, October 1999, p. 3223-3228, Vol. 37, No. 10
Departments of
Haematology,1
Paediatrics,3 and
Microbiology,2 University Hospital
Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium
Received 12 April 1999/Returned for modification 1 June
1999/Accepted 28 June 1999
Efforts to improve the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA)
have been directed towards the detection of fungal antigens, including
galactomannan (GM). However, previous evaluations of GM detection have
been hampered by a lack of proven cases of IA and by a nonserial study
design. This prospective study assessed the diagnostic value of serial
screening for circulating GM by using a recently developed sandwich
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for prolonged-neutropenic
and/or steroid-treated patients with hematological disorders. Serum GM
levels were monitored twice weekly for 186 consecutive patients at
increased risk for IA. The patients were stratified according to the
likelihood of IA (proven, probable, possible, and no evidence of IA) by
using stringent criteria. Proven IA was defined by characteristic
histopathological findings together with a positive culture for
Aspergillus species. Autopsy and culture from autopsy
specimens was used to verify both positive and negative test results. A
total of 2,172 serum samples were tested from 243 episodes (mean, 9 samples/episode). Based on the analysis of 71 patients with confirmed
disease status (culture and histology), the sensitivity and specificity
of serial GM monitoring were 92.6 and 95.4%, respectively. The
positive predictive value was almost 93%, the negative predictive
value was 95%, and the efficacy was 94%. False-positive reactions
occurred at a rate of nearly 8%, although this figure might have been
overestimated. Less than 1% of all tested sera were considered
inconclusive. In more than half of the cases, antigenemia was detected
before clinical suspicion of IA (median, 6 days before). Serial
determination of serum GM by the sandwich ELISA technique is a
sensitive tool for the diagnosis of IA in hematological patients at
risk. This approach may substantially influence clinical management
with regard to preemptive and empirical antifungal therapy.
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Autopsy-Controlled Prospective Evaluation of Serial
Screening for Circulating Galactomannan by a Sandwich Enzyme-Linked
Immunosorbent Assay for Hematological Patients at Risk for
Invasive Aspergillosis
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Haematology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Phone: 32 16 346880. Fax: 32 16 346881. E-mail: marc.boogaerts{at}uz.kuleuven.ac.be.
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