Clinical application of (1,3)-β-D-glucan on the early diagnosis of invasive fungal infection

Abstract

Objective To investigate the chnical application of (1,3)-β-D-glucan (BG) detection in the early diagnosis of invasive fungal infection(IFI). Methods All patients were divided into two groups, including routine exami-nation group and suspicious IFI group. Patients with bone marrow transplant carried out the routine examination twice a week. Patients with suspicious IFI were detected when necessary. The plasma concentration of BG was measured by micro-biol kinetic rapid reader MB-80. The samphs of blood, sputum, urine or body fluids were collected for culture or smear detection. The patients were diagnosed according to the diagnostic criteria and treatment principle of IFI for patients with blood disease or malignant tumors in China (draft). Results The positive time of BG detection preceded that of bacterial detection and clinical confirmed IFI. There were statistical differences between BG detection and other methods (P <0.01, P < 0.05). Conclusions BG detection is a pracicable method in early diagnosis of invasive fungal infection. The serial determination of BG can provide reliable information for the early diagnosis of IFI. Key words: Fungi; Infection; (1,3)-β-D-glucan; Early diagnosis