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Urinary D-Arabinitol/L-Arabinitol Levels in Infants Undergoing Long-Term Antibiotic Therapy

Teresa J. Stradomska,^1* Bogumia Bobula-Milewska,² Anna Bauer,² Zbigniew Mielniczuk,¹ Maria Dbkowska,³ Magorzata Syczewska,⁴ and Danuta Dzieranowska³

Department of Laboratory Diagnostics,¹ Infant Department,² Department of Clinical Microbiology,³ Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Al. Dzieci Polskich 20, 04-736 Warsaw, Poland⁴

Received 10 November 2004/ Returned for modification 25 December 2004/ Accepted 6 July 2005

Long-term antibiotic therapy is one of the main risk factors for mycosis. The urinary D-arabinitol/L-arabinitol (D-/L-ARA) ratio (a biomarker of several Candida species) was determined by gas chromatography with an electron capture detector in samples from 51 infants undergoing long-term antibiotic therapy. Although 47 of these children had higher D-/L-ARA ratios than healthy controls (P < 0.0003), their values nonetheless remained within upper-normal limits (D-/L-ARA ratio of <3.6). Four children with suspected invasive candidiasis had above-normal ratios that normalized with fluconazole treatment.