TY - JOUR
T1 - The Beta-d-glucan Test
T2 - Time to Re-Visit Its Utility in IFI Diagnosis
AU - Furfaro, Elisa
AU - Viscoli, Claudio
AU - Giacobbe, Daniele Roberto
AU - Ratto, Sandra
AU - Mikulska, Malgorzata
PY - 2015/12/1
Y1 - 2015/12/1
N2 - Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are life-threatening complications both in hemato-oncological and intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and early diagnosis is crucial for outcome. Culture-based methods for the diagnosis of IFI have limited performance, and newer surrogate markers with improved sensitivity and specificity are needed to enable earlier diagnosis and to provide prognostic information and/or permit response monitoring. Fungal biomarkers such as galactomannan (GM) and 1,3-β-d-glucan (BDG) have been increasingly utilized in the last decade for an early and accurate diagnosis of these infections. This review will report the recent developments in the use of BDG for the diagnosis of IFI, focusing in particular on the latest clinical data on the diagnosis of invasive candidemia, invasive aspergillosis and pneumocystosis. In addition, the use of the assay in samples other than serum, as well as its limitations, will be described.
AB - Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are life-threatening complications both in hemato-oncological and intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and early diagnosis is crucial for outcome. Culture-based methods for the diagnosis of IFI have limited performance, and newer surrogate markers with improved sensitivity and specificity are needed to enable earlier diagnosis and to provide prognostic information and/or permit response monitoring. Fungal biomarkers such as galactomannan (GM) and 1,3-β-d-glucan (BDG) have been increasingly utilized in the last decade for an early and accurate diagnosis of these infections. This review will report the recent developments in the use of BDG for the diagnosis of IFI, focusing in particular on the latest clinical data on the diagnosis of invasive candidemia, invasive aspergillosis and pneumocystosis. In addition, the use of the assay in samples other than serum, as well as its limitations, will be described.
KW - (1,3)-beta-d-glucan
KW - Fungal infection
KW - Invasive aspergillosis
KW - Invasive candidiasis
KW - Pneumocystosis
KW - Review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84947615103&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84947615103&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s12281-015-0240-3
DO - 10.1007/s12281-015-0240-3
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84947615103
VL - 9
SP - 292
EP - 301
JO - Current Fungal Infection Reports
JF - Current Fungal Infection Reports
SN - 1936-3761
IS - 4
ER -