Evaluation Of Efficiency Of Fluorescence Detection Technique In The Diagnosis Of Fungal Infection

Objective Fungal infections can be divided into superficial mycosis and the term invasive fungal infection.Superficial mycoses are fungal infections restricted to the stratum corneum and to the hair shafts,with no penetration in the epidermis.Onychomycosis is a fungal nail infection caused by dermatophytes,non-dermatophyte molds,and yeasts.Several other nail disorders,including psoriasis,Yellow nail syndrome can simulate onychomycosis.Accurate diagnosis is therefore vital for the ongoing treatment of onychomycosis and to avoid misdiagnosis and treatment delay,which can be both lengthy and costly.The incidence of invasive fungal disease are fungal infections that endanger all systems of the body.The incidence of invasive fungal have become increasingly prevalent in the recent years along with the increasing populations of immunocompromised patients and widespread use of the broad-spectrum antibiotics.Older age and HIV-infected,cancer patients are risk factors.So accurate diagnosis is very important.Therefore,it is necessary to find an accurate,rapid and reliable method for the detection of onychomycosis by comparing the four methods used in clinical practice.Methods One hundred and thirty nail specimens of suspected fungal infections and nineteen cases of bronchoalveolar lavage specimens were detected by fluorescence staining,KOH wet-mount,fungal culture,and fungal DNA detection.Results The detection rates of nail fungal infection by fluorescent staining,KOH wet-mount,fungal culture and fungal DNA detection were 76.15%,69.23%,29.23%,and0%,respectively.Using KOH wet-mount as gold standard,the sensitivity and specificity of fluorescence staining were 97.78% and72.50%,the sensitivity and specificity of fungal culture were 41.11%and 97.50%,The sensitivity and specificity of fungal DNA detection were0% and 100%,respectively.The detection rates of incidence of invasivefungal disease by fluorescent staining,KOH wet-mount,fungal culture and fungal DNA detection were 26.32%,0%,15.79%,and %,respectively.Conclusion Compared with the other three methods,Fluorescence staining has more advantageous in clinical application than other three methods,and it is a rapid and reliable method for fungal detection with high positive rate.