الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Invasive pulmonary fungal infection is an infectious process in the lungs caused by one or more endemic or opportunistic fungi. In fact, the lung is the primary site of most fatal fungal infections. Recent studies have shown that (1-3)-β-D-Glucan (BDG), a major fungal cell wall antigen, represents a promising soluble marker for the presumptive diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of invasive fungal infections. Aim of the work : Evaluate serum (1-3)-β-D-Glucan antigen detection and PCR methods for diagnosis of invasive pulmonary fungal infections. Patient and Methods : This study is a cross-sectional comparative study. It was conducted from March 2019 to February 2020 at Chest Department of Mansoura University Hospitals and Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University Conclusion : Although difference between the PCR and(1-3)-β-D-Glucan Ag did not reach the level of significance, but we showed PCR had a higher value than (1-3)-β D-Glucan Ag regarding the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values. Further studies needed for evaluate serial (1-3)-β-D-Glucan Ag efficacy, also monitoring qualitative (1-3)-β-D-Glucan Ag results during interval testing, tracking quantitative values following initiation of antifungal therapy may be used as a prognostic marker for patient response. |