Systemic Fungal Disease Diagnostic Tests And Epidemiological Investigations

Background Invasive aspergillosis(IA) is one of the most frequentlyencountered infections with a high mortality rate in immunocompromisedpatients. An early diagnosis and application of antifungal drug is the key tolower the mortality rate of IA.Objective To assess the clinical usefulness of a commercial Aspergillus antigenenzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the diagnosis of IA.Methods In total of 48 serum samples from 48 patients were tested by using thePlatelia enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Microbiology examinations suchas direct examination and fungal culture were also made from the samples suchas blood, tissue, sterile body fluid, sputum of the patients.Results The sensitivity and specification of ELISA were 64.7% and 93.5%. Thepredictive positive and negative values for patients with proven invasive aspergillosis were66.7% and 98%, respectively.In 17 patients with proven or probable invasive aspergillosis:6patients with bone marrow(35.29%),3 patients with liver transplant(17.65%),4 patients withchronic lung infection(23.52%),2 patients with hematological malignancies (11.76%).Aspergillus.funmigatus is cultured in the blood, tissue, sterile body fluid or sputum ofthe 17 patients with proven or probable invasive aspergillosis.Conclusion The Aspergillus ELISA method is a sensitive, rapid and simple testin diagnosis of IA. Immunocompromised patients are the risk people of IA.Aspergillus.funmigatus is the main payhogen of IA.