C154

Aspergillus detection test

An evaluation to detect invasive Aspergillosis (IA) in a mixed population of 158 patients with underlying haematological or critical illness using the new commercial PCR test, the MycAssay, has been completed. The single-centre prospective evaluation tested the reliability and performance of the assay compared with clinical diagnosis and conventional diagnostic tests, such as culture and one of the current commercial gold-standards which is based around the detection of galactomannan (GM) in serum. The data generated from bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] samples showed that the assay is a sensitive and specific molecular test for the diagnosis of IA which, in these early studies, appears to perform better than other assays in the study and is far superior to culture. Invasive aspergillosis is usually a hidden, clinical silent disease. Early detection of IA is critical for improved patient outcomes. Current tests are insensitive or suffer from false-positive and false-negative results. These new data are very promising in the context of haematological or critical illness and hopefully can be introduced into routine fungal disease guidelines at the earliest opportunity.

Supplier: Lab 21 Limited
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