Diagnostic Value of Serum Biomarkers for Invasive Aspergillosis in Haematologic Patients

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with haematological malignancies. Accurate diagnosis of IA is challenging due to non-specific symptoms and the impact of antifungal prophylaxis on biomarker sensitivity.

This retrospective study evaluated the diagnostic performance of three serum biomarkers: Aspergillus Galactomannan Ag VirClia Monotest^® (VirClia), Wako β-D-Glucan Test^® (Wako BDG), and MycoGENIE Real-Time PCR^® (MycoGENIE PCR). True positives were defined as patients with proven or probable IA (n = 14), with a positive Platelia Aspergillus Antigen^® (Platelia) serving as a mycological criterion. True negatives were identified as patients with a positive Platelia assay but classified as non-probable IA (n = 10) and outpatients who consistently tested negative with the Platelia test throughout the study period (n = 20).

Most patients diagnosed with proven or probable IA were acute myeloid leukaemia or myelodysplastic syndrome patients receiving mould-active antifungal prophylaxis or treatment (71%). VirClia demonstrated high sensitivity (100%) for detecting IA, with a specificity of 83%. Wako BDG and MycoGENIE PCR showed lower sensitivities for IA (57% and 64%, respectively). MycoGENIE PCR detected Aspergillus spp. and Mucorales in two patients.

Accurate diagnosis of IA remains challenging, especially in patients who have received mould-active antifungal treatment. VirClia showed comparable performance to Platelia, suggesting its potential for routine use. However, Wako BDG and MycoGENIE PCR results were less favourable in our study cohort. Nevertheless, MycoGENIE PCR detected two probable co-infections with Aspergillus spp. and Mucorales.