[Serologic diagnosis of fungal infections]

Serologic markers such as fungal antigens and beta-D-glucan are becoming increasingly important for early diagnosis of invasive fungal infections (IFI). Fungal antigens detected with commercially available kits include mannan from Candida spp., galactomannan from Aspergillus spp., and galactoxylomannan from Cryptococcus spp. Measurement of (1,3)-beta-D-glucan in blood may be useful as a preliminary screening tool for IFI, despite the fact that beta-D-glucan can be detected in a number of other fungi. The clinical sensitivity and specificity of serologic assays for diagnosing IFI are somewhat variable. These variations are mainly related to the patient population examined, the test conditions and the frequency of the serologic survey. A large number of cases should be evaluated to clarify the characteristics of the assay kits.