Abstract
The clinical utility of IgE against recombinant Aspergillus fumigatus (rAsp)-specific antigens in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) remains unclear. To identify the optimal diagnostic cutoffs of rAsp-specific IgE in differentiating ABPA from A fumigatus-sensitized asthma (ASA), and define their utility in the diagnosis of ABPA. We enrolled consecutive subjects with ASA and ABPA. IgE against rAsp f1, f2, f3, f4, and f6 was assayed in all the subjects. We evaluated 3 fixed cutoffs (0.35, 0.5, and 1.0 kUA/L) for their diagnostic performance in the entire cohort. We also divided the study population into derivation and validation cohorts. Cutoffs for rAsp-specific IgE were obtained using the receiver-operating characteristic analysis in the derivation cohort. We then evaluated the diagnostic performance of these cutoffs in the validation cohort. We further correlated rAsp-specific IgE levels in ABPA with asthma control, spirometry, imaging, and immunologic markers. We included 194 subjects (123 ABPA and 71 ASA). The statistically derived cutoffs proved superior to fixed cutoffs. IgE against rAsp f1 yielded the best combination of sensitivity (89%) and specificity (100%). The sensitivity and specificity of IgE against either rAsp f1 (cutoff, 4.465 kUA/L) or f2 (cutoff, 1.300 kUA/L) for diagnosing ABPA were 100% and 81%, respectively. The correlation between rAsp-specific IgE and most clinical parameters of ABPA was weak. IgE against rAsp f1 and f2 (using receiver-operating characteristic-derived cutoffs) were found to be the most useful in differentiating ABPA from ASA. Because this study was conducted at a single center, our results require further validation.
Published Version
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