Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 May-Jun;30(3):193-7.
doi: 10.4103/0256-4947.62828.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the diagnostic value of combined serological tests

Xiaofang Gao  1 , Liangan Chen, Guangrong Hu, Haiyu Mei
Affiliations

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the diagnostic value of combined serological tests

Xiaofang Gao et al. Ann Saudi Med. 2010 May-Jun.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasing in frequency. We conducted this study to find out the approximate incidence of IPA in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD), and to determine whether using a combination of two tests (galactomannan [GM] antigen and 1,3-beta-glucan [BG] detection) would result in a more specific diagnosis of IPA.

Methods: The study included 261 patients with AECOPD admitted over two years. The patients were categorized according to the modified definitions for IPA. GM antigen and BG were detected by the Platelia Aspergillus and Glucatell tests.

Results: Two patients had proven IPA, three had probable IPA, and two had possible IPA. The rate of proven or probable IPA in patients with AECOPD was 1.91% (5/261). Four patients with proven and probable IPA had been treated with a systemic or inhaled corticosteroid before hospitalization and the typical symptoms and diagnostic signs of IPA were relatively less common in them. Mortality in patients with proven and probable IPA was 80%. The specificity of combined GM and BG detection was 98.8%.

Conclusion: Combining two serological tests increased the specificity of diagnosis but further trials are needed to prove the value of this approach.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. De Pauw B, Walsh TJ, Donnelly JP, Stevens DA, Edwards JE, Calandra T, et al. Revised definitions of invasive fungal disease from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycoses Study Group (EORTC/MSG) Consensus Group. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;46:1813–21. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Denning DW. Invasive aspergillosis. Clin Infect Dis. 1998;6:781–803. - PubMed
    1. Bulpa PA, Dive AM, Garrino MG, Delos MA, Gonzalez MR, Evrard PA, et al. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis: Benefits of intensive care? Intensive Care Med. 2001;27:59–67. - PubMed
    1. Rello J, Esandi ME, Mariscal D, Gallego M, Domingo C, Valles J. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Report of eight cases and review. Clin Infect Dis. 1998;26:1473–5. - PubMed
    1. Lin SJ, Schranz J, Teutsch SM. Aspergillosis case-fatality rate: Systematic review of the literature. Clin Infect Dis. 2001;32:358–66. - PubMed

MeSH terms