Nucleic acid amplification methodologies for the detection of pulmonary mold infections

The detection of pulmonary mold infections has historically required technically demanding methods obtained through invasive procedures. Nucleic acid amplification assays have the potential to circumvent the technical hurdles associated with diagnosis, but are not without potential pitfalls. Areas covered: In this paper, the authors review new assays for the diagnosis of pulmonary mold infections due to aspergillosis, mucormycosis, and hyalohyphomycoses as well as uncommon infections caused by dematiaceous molds. Expert commentary: Nucleic acid amplification assays have the potential to rapidly identify patients with invasive mycoses and could shorten the time to implementation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy. However, selection of appropriate patient populations will be crucial to ensure the highest Bayesian positive predictive value for any novel diagnostic platform.