Methods of laboratory diagnosis of histoplasmosis – problems and prospects

Abstract

Endemic infections, such as histoplasmosis, the causative agent of which is assigned to pathogenicity group II, can cause a number of difficulties in laboratory studies. The culture method is the gold standard of diagnosis, but requires a lot of time and skill of the doctor. Immunological methods used to detect H. capsulatum antigens and/or antibodies to them, although they have received a wide range of applications in endemic regions show variable sensitivity and specificity, which is influenced by: the nature of the course of infection, the immune status of the patient, the type of clinical material and etc. As a result, we are seeing a gradual shift in emphasis towards molecular genetic studies, which demonstrate high analytical performance in the laboratory diagnosis of histoplasmosis.