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. 2024 Jan 27;62(2):myad138.
doi: 10.1093/mmy/myad138.

Evaluation of the mannan antigen assay in neonates with or without Candida albicans colonization

Vasiliki Bourika  1 , Tania Siahanidou  1 , Kalliopi Theodoridou  2 , Athanasios Tsakris  2 , Georgia Vrioni  2 , Athanasios Michos  3
Affiliations

Evaluation of the mannan antigen assay in neonates with or without Candida albicans colonization

Vasiliki Bourika et al. Med Mycol. .

Abstract

Mannan antigen (MA) in neonates as a marker of invasive candidemia is not well studied, although 4% of all neonatal intensive care unit admissions are attributed to Candida spp. infections. The aim of this case-control study was to evaluate the performance of MA (Platelia™ Candida AgPluskit, Bio-Rad) in neonates who had rectal Candida colonization or in non-colonized controls. We cultured 340 rectal swabs of neonates and MA was negative in 24/25 C. albicans colonized (96% specificity) and in 30/30 non-colonized neonates (100% specificity). The results indicate a high specificity of the assay, which could be useful in neonates with possible candidemia.

Keywords: Candida; carriage; infant; mannan; neonate.

Plain language summary

The present study aimed to evaluate the use of mannan antigen (MA) assay in a neonatal unit and compared between C. albicans colonized and non-colonized infants. According to our results, MA found to have high specificity in both groups.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

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