Probable Invasive Aspergillosis Research Articles

Investigation of the Relationships Between Clinical and Environmental Isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus by Multiple-locus Variable Number Tandem Repeat Analysis During Major Demolition Work in a French Hospital.

Genotyping is needed to explore the link between clinical cases from colonization of invasive aspergillosis (IA) and major building construction. Attempts to correlate Aspergillus fumigatus strains from clinical infection or colonization with those found in the environment remain controversial due to the lack of a large prospective study. Our aim in this study was to compare the genetic diversity of clinical and environmental A. fumigatus isolates during a demolition period. Fungal contamination was monitored daily for 11 months in 2015. Environmental surveillance was undertaken indoors and outdoors at 8 locations with automatic agar samplers. IA infection cases were investigated according to European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycoses Study Group criteria. Isolates were identified by amplification and sequencing of the β- tubulin gene. They were genotyped by multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). The phylogenetic relationships between isolates were assessed by generating a minimum spanning tree. Based on 3885 samples, 394 A. fumigatus isolates (383 environmental and 11 clinical) were identified and genotyped using MLVA. Clinical isolates were collected from patients diagnosed as having probable IA (n = 2), possible IA (n = 1), or bronchial colonization (n = 6). MLVA generated 234 genotypes. Seven clinical isolates shared genotypes identical to environmental isolates. Among the diversity of genotypes described, similar genotypes were found in clinical and environmental isolates, indicating that A. fumigatus infection and colonization may originate from hospital environments.

Invasive aspergillosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a retrospective study on clinical characteristics and risk factors for mortality.

Objective The objective of this paper is to analyze the clinical features, outcomes, mortality risk factors, and all-cause mortalities of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods Medical records were reviewed to identify SLE patients with IA from January 2006 to June 2017, at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan. A total of 6714 SLE patients were included. Clinical/laboratory parameters and treatment outcomes were analyzed. Results Four patients (19.0%) had definite and 17 had probable (81.0%) IA. Seven patients (33.3%) survived and 14 died (66.7%). Concurrently, there were 19 pneumonias (90.5%), 17 cases of other infections (81.0%), eight bacteremia (38.1%), nine cytomegalovirus (CMV, 42.7%) and six Candida (28.6%) infections. In all 55 blood cultures, 38 (69.1%) yielded gram-negative bacilli, of which carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii accounted for eight (21.1%); 17 (30.9%) yielded gram-positive cocci, of which methicillin-resistant S. aureus accounted for six (35.3%); and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus accounted for four (23.5%). Daily steroid dose ≥ 20 mg (hazard ratio (HR) 2.00), recent pulse steroid therapy (HR 2.80), azathioprine (HR 2.00), rituximab (HR 2.00), plasmapheresis (HR 2.00), acute respiratory distress syndrome (HR 2.00), concurrent infections (HR 5.667) and CMV viremia (HR 1.75) were higher in the fatality group. All p values were less than 0.05. Septic shock ( n = 7, 50% in the fatality group) is the most common cause of mortality. Conclusions High daily steroid dosing, recent pulse steroid therapy, azathioprine, rituximab, concurrent infections, and CMV viremia were mortality risk factors for IA in SLE.

Diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in hematological malignancy patients: Performance of cytokines, Asp LFD, and Aspergillus PCR in same day blood and bronchoalveolar lavage samples

Aspergillus spp. induce elevated levels of several cytokines. It remains unknown whether these cytokines hold value for clinical routine and enhance diagnostic performances of established and novel biomarkers/tests for invasive aspergillosis (IA). This cohort study included 106 prospectively enrolled (2014-2017) adult cases with underlying hematological malignancies and suspected pulmonary infection undergoing bronchoscopy. Serum samples were collected within 24 hours of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) sampling. Both, serum and BALF samples were used to evaluate diagnostic performances of the Aspergillus-specific lateral-flow device test (LFD), Aspergillus PCR, β-D-glucan, and cytokines that have shown significant associations with IA before. Among 106 cases, 11 had probable IA, and 32 possible IA; 80% received mold-active antifungals at the time of sampling. Diagnostic tests and biomarkers showed better performance in BALF versus blood, with the exception of serum interleukin (IL)-8 which was the most reliable blood biomarker. Combinations of serum IL-8 with either BALF LFD (sensitivity 100%, specificity 94%) or BALF PCR (sensitivity 91%, specificity 97%) showed promise for differentiating probable IA from no IA. High serum IL-8 levels were highly specific, and when combined with either the BALF Aspergillus-specific LFD, or BALF Aspergillus PCR also highly sensitive for diagnosis of IA.

Breakthrough invasive aspergillosis and diagnostic accuracy of serum galactomannan enzyme immune assay during acute myeloid leukemia induction chemotherapy with posaconazole prophylaxis.

Posaconazole prophylaxis has demonstrated efficacy in the prevention of invasive aspergillosis during prolonged neutropenia following acute myeloid leukemia induction chemotherapy. Antifungal treatment decreases serum galactomannan enzyme immunoassay diagnostic accuracy that could delay the diagnosis and treatment.We retrospectively studied patients with acute myeloid leukemia who underwent intensive chemotherapy and antifungal prophylaxis by posaconazole oral suspension. Clinical, radiological, microbiological features and treatment response of patients with invasive aspergillosis that occurred despite posaconazole prophylaxis were analyzed. Diagnostic accuracy of serum galactomannan assay according to posaconazole plasma concentrations has been performed.A total of 288 patients with acute myeloid leukemia, treated by induction chemotherapy, who received posaconazole prophylaxis for more than five days were included in the present study. The incidence of invasive aspergillosis was 8% with 12 (4.2%), 8 (2.8%) and 3 (1%), possible, probable and proven invasive aspergillosis, respectively. Posaconazole plasma concentration was available for 258 patients. Median duration of posaconazole treatment was 17 days, and median posaconazole plasma concentration was 0.5 mg/L. None of patients with invasive aspergillosis and posaconazole concentration ≥ 0.5 mg/L had a serum galactomannan positive test. Sensitivity of serum galactomannan assay to detect probable and proven invasive aspergillosis was 81.8%. Decreasing the cut-off value for serum galactomannan optical density index from 0.5 to 0.3 increased sensitivity to 90.9%.In a homogenous cohort of acute myeloid leukemia patients during induction chemotherapy, increasing the posaconazole concentration decreases the sensitivity of serum galactomannan assay.

Epidemiology, risk factors and outcomes of invasive aspergillosis in solid organ transplant recipients in the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study.

There is lack of recent multicenter epidemiological data on invasive aspergillosis (IA) among solid organ transplant recipient (SOTr) in the mold-acting antifungal era. We describe the epidemiology and outcomes of IA in a contemporary cohort of SOTr using the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study. All consecutive SOTr with proven or probable IA between 01.05.2008 and 31.12.2014 were included. A case-control study to identify IA predictors was performed: 1-case was matched with 3-controls based on SOT type, transplant center, and time post-SOT. Among 2868 SOTr, 70 (2.4%) patients were diagnosed with proven (N:30/70, 42.9%) or probable (N: 40/70, 57.1%) IA. The incidence of IA was 8.3%, 7.1%, 2.6%, 1.3%, and 1.2% in lung, heart, combined, kidney, and liver transplant recipients, respectively, Galactomannan immunoassay was positive in 1/3 of patients tested. Only 33/63 (52.4%) of patients presented with typical pulmonary radiographic findings. Predictors of IA included: renal insufficiency, re-operation, and bacterial and viral infections. 12-week mortality was higher in liver (85.7%, 6/7) compared to other (15.9%, 10/63; P<.001) SOTr. Invasive aspergillosis remains a rare complication post-SOT, with atypical radiographic presentations and low positivity rates of biomarkers posing significant diagnostic challenges. Although overall mortality has decreased in SOTr, it remains high in liver SOTr.

Urine Antigen Detection as an Aid to Diagnose Invasive Aspergillosis.

Establishing rapid diagnoses of invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a priority tests that detect galactomannan and β-d-glucan are available, but are technically cumbersome and rely on invasive sampling (blood or bronchoalveolar lavage). We optimized a lateral flow dipstick assay using the galactofuranose-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb476), which recognizes urine antigens after Aspergillus fumigatus pulmonary infection in animals. Urine samples were obtained from a cohort of 78 subjects undergoing evaluation for suspected invasive fungal infections, and stored frozen until testing. Urine was processed by centrifugation through desalting columns and exposed to dipsticks. Reviewers blinded to clinical diagnoses graded results. Western blots were performed on urine samples from 2 subjects to characterize mAb476-reactive antigens. Per-patient sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of proven or probable IA in the overall cohort was 80% (95% confidence interval [CI], 61.4%-92.3%) and 92% (95% CI, 74%-99%), respectively. In the subgroup with cancer, sensitivity was 89.5% (95% CI, 66.7%-98.7%) and specificity was 90.9% (95% CI, 58.7%-99.8%); among all others, sensitivity and specificity were 63.6% (95% CI, 30.8%-89.1%) and 92.9% (95% CI, 66.1%-99.8%), respectively. Eliminating lung transplant recipients with airway disease increased sensitivity in the noncancer cohort (85.7% [95% CI, 42.1%-99.6%]). Semiquantitative urine assay results correlated with serum galactomannan indices. Western blots demonstrated mAb476-reactive antigens in urine from cases, ranging between 26 kDa and 35 kDa in size. Urine testing using mAb476 may be used as an aid to diagnose IA in high-risk patients.

Lung Abscess Due to Aspergillus lentulus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Patient With Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis

Abstract Aspergillus lentulus has been recognized within Aspergillus section Fumigati as a phenotypically similar but genetically distinct species, displaying reduced susceptibility to antifungal agents. It has been described as a cause of invasive aspergillosis in patients who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, solid organ transplant recipients, those on prolonged corticosteroid therapy, or in patients with structural lung disease including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We report a case of successful treatment of probable invasive pulmonary aspergillosis due to A. lentulus and polymicrobial infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a patient with relapsing granulomatosis with polyangiitis and recent high-dose steroid therapy.

Predominance of non-fumigatus Aspergillus species among patients suspected to pulmonary aspergillosis in a tropical and subtropical region of the Middle East

Non-fumigatus Aspergillus species are the leading cause of Aspergillus infections in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.In a prospective study between 2015 and 2016, a total of 150 bronchoalveolar (BAL) specimens was collected from patients suspected to pulmonary aspergillosis (PA) underlying immunodeficiencies in Mashhad, Northeastern Iran, located in the Middle East. All Aspergillus strains were phylogenetically identified at the species level by PCR-sequencing of partial β-tubulin gene.Overall, Aspergillus species were isolated from 20 specimens originating from 10 (50%) patients with cancer, 5 (25%) patients receiving corticosteroid therapy, 3 (15%) organ transplant recipients and 2 (10%) patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). A. flavus complex was the predominant 15 (75%) cause of probable invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), followed by A. tubingensis 3 (15%), and 2 (10%) A. fumigates complex.In conclusion, distribution of clinical Aspergillus species in the tropical region of the Middle East shows predominance of the non-fumigatus Aspergillus spp., which warrants further attention by health care professionals.

Epidemiology of invasive aspergillosis and triazole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in patients with haematological malignancies: a single-centre retrospective cohort study.

To investigate the epidemiology and clinical relevance of triazole resistance among patients undergoing treatment for haematological malignancies who are at risk of invasive aspergillosis (IA). This was a retrospective cohort study for which the records of consecutive patients given chemotherapy for AML or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or who had received an allogeneic HSCT from 2006 to 2012 were reviewed for IA. Triazole resistance was detected by the VIPcheck™ screening method and confirmed by determining the MIC by EUCAST methodology. A total of 432 patients were included, comprising 182 (42.1%) patients who had undergone chemotherapy for AML or MDS, and 250 (57.9%) patients who had undergone an allogeneic HSCT. Probable or proven IA was diagnosed in 36 cases (8.3%, 95% CI 6.0%-11.4%). Of these, 12 (33.3%) were based on recovery of Aspergillus fumigatus from sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage or biopsy, and triazole resistance was found in 2 instances. A. fumigatus was also recovered from one or more specimens from 13 patients without probable or proven IA. Triazole resistance was documented for three patients. The survival rate of patients with IA caused by voriconazole-resistant isolates could not be assessed. The overall frequency of voriconazole-resistant IA among patients at high risk was low. However, the rate of triazole resistance may have been underestimated by the low detection rate based on recovery of A. fumigatus. Alternative diagnostic tests, such as PCR-based assays, may prove better at detecting IA due to triazole-resistant A. fumigatus.

Applying host disease status biomarkers to therapeutic response monitoring in invasive aspergillosis patients.

One critical factor impeding successful management of invasive aspergillosis (IA) is the lack of reliable biomarkers to assess therapeutic response. We hypothesized that changes in certain host biomarkers reflect the nature of infection status and disease progression. Upon primary IA diagnosis, these disease status biomarkers can be monitored to track response to antifungal therapy and provide early markers that prognosticate likelihood of response. Herein, we analyzed serum levels of three prominent host disease status biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin (Hp), and annexin A1 (ANXA1) in IA patients during antifungal therapy. A total of 81 serial serum samples were collected at five or six different time points relative to IA diagnosis from 15 probable IA patients (10 acute leukemia [AL] and five hematopoietic stem cell transplantation [HSCT]). Of note, different biomarker profiles were observed in AL and HSCT patients, as not only levels of markers were significantly lower in HSCT patients but also more prominent interconnections among markers were observed in AL patients. Using a composite evaluation, patients were categorized as responders, nonresponders, and stable cases at last specimen. For AL responders, typical biomarker profiles were high initially but rapidly decreased for CRP and Hp post antifungal therapy, while low initial ANXA1 values were restored to normal levels after treatment. In contrast, CRP and Hp were persistently elevated whilst ANXA1 remained low throughout therapy in AL non-responders. As a pilot proof-of-concept study, our work demonstrates the great potential of using host biomarkers to monitor early therapeutic response in leukemia patients.

Evaluation of the lateral flow Aspergillus assay for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis, experience in a university hospital

The incidence of invasive aspergillosis is increasing. Its diagnosis is based on clinical and microbiological criteria which include the determination of serological markers such as galactomannan. Recently, the Aspergillus lateral flow device, an inmunocromatograph assay has been described for its diagnosis. To evaluate the performance of the lateral flow device for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in adult patients. In this cross-sectional study, frozen samples that had been previously evaluated for galactomannan from patients classified with proven/probable/possible or no AI according to the EORTC/MSG criteria were selected. A total of 142 samples from 98 patients were processed, corresponding to proven AI 5.6%, probable IA 41.5%, possible IA 12.7% and no-IA 40.1%. The sensitivity and specificity of the Aspergillus lateral flow was 70.9% and 53.5% for serum samples and 83.3% and 38.5% for BAL samples. The concordance between the galactomannan and Aspergillus lateral flow was 62.4% (54.1 - 69.9) with a Kappa index of 0.202 (0.03682 - 0.3669). We observed a good sensitivity but low specificity, a positive result need a confirmatory test.

Improving the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis by the detection of Aspergillus in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid: Comparison of non-culture-based assays

ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate new tools to diagnose invasive aspergillosis (IA) directly from broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) samples. MethodsAll consecutive patients with suspected IA who underwent bronchoscopy with BAL were prospectively included. Mycological culture and ELISA detection of galactomannan (GM) were performed on BAL. Two in-house and two marketed PCR assays were used on BAL DNA extracts to detect Aspergillus species. Susceptibility testing was performed after culture; marketed PCR assays detected mutations in the CYP51A gene associated to resistance. ResultsWithin 3 years, 1555 BAL samples were processed, including 413 samples from 387 immunosuppressed patients. IA diagnosis was no-IA, possible, probable or proven IA in 326, 23, 37 and 1 patients, respectively. PCR assays sensitivity for Aspergillus detection ranged from 61% to 74%, below GM (87%), but contrasting with 47% for cultures. Combining PCR to EORTC/MSG criteria increased the sensitivity to 100%. Interestingly, tests performance in non-hematological patients ranged from 60% to 75%, and were higher than in hematological patients, and those with prior exposure to antifungals. All 16 isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus were susceptible; PCR did not detect any resistance marker in the 37 A. fumigatus PCR-positive samples. ConclusionThe molecular detection of Aspergillus directly in BAL samples greatly improved the diagnosis of IA, particularly in non-hematological patients.

Antifungal prophylaxis with fluconazole in allogeneic stem cell transplantation recipients who had prior invasive aspergillosis with subsequent complete resolution by computed tomography

Background: Consensus has yet to be reached regarding secondary prophylaxis in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with a complete resolution of invasive aspergillosis (IA) confirmed by chest computed tomography (CT).Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the feasibility of antifungal prophylaxis with fluconazole in allogeneic HSCT recipients who had previously developed IA which showed complete resolution as confirmed by chest CT before HSCT. Consecutive adult patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT at our institution and who had received fluconazole as systemic antifungal prophylaxis from June 2007 to January 2015 were included. We compared the clinical outcomes between patients with a past history of IA who showed a complete resolution of chest CT abnormalities (n = 13) and those without a previous history of IA (n = 137).Results: The cumulative incidence of proven or probable IA was 8.8% in the group without a past history of IA and 0.0% in the group with a past history of IA (p = .268). The cumulative incidence of proven or probable invasive fungal disease (IFD) within 100 days after allogeneic HSCT was 10.9% in the group without a past history of IA and 15.4% in the group with a past history of IA (p = .647). Fluconazole was switched to anti-mould agents in two-thirds of the patients in each group by day 100 after HSCT.Conclusions: Fluconazole was confirmed to be an acceptable prophylactic agent early after allogeneic HSCT in appropriately selected patients.

Comparing Diagnostic-Driven Approaches to Empiric Therapy in the Treatment of Invasive Aspergillosis in Patients with Hematologic Malignancy

Background Early antifungal therapy of invasive aspergillosis (IA) has been shown to be associated with improved outcome. Given the difficulty to establish the diagnosis of IA based on conventional methods, early initiation of empiric antifungal therapy has been used in patients with clinically suspected IA. Diagnostic-driven approach (DDA) relies on using novel diagnostic methods (e.g., early galactomannan testing). In this current study, we compared the outcomes of hematological malignancy (HM) patients with IA who were treated with Voriconazole using the DDA (DDA-Vori) vs. empiric therapy with a non-Voriconazole containing regimen (EMP-non-Vori) or empiric therapy with Voriconazole (EMP-Vori).Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 604 HM patients with documented, proven or probable IA (according to EORTC/MSG criteria) diagnosed between July, 1993 and February, 2016 at our center. We included 346 patients with underlying host factors, a suggestive CT findings of IA, and positive biopsy, fungal culture or galactomannan indicative of IA, and who received at least 7 days of DDA-Vori, EMP-Vori, or EMP-non-Vori. Outcome assessment included response to therapy (clinical and radiographic), all causing mortality and IA attributable mortality.ResultsThe patients’ median age was 54 years and 59% were males. By multivariate analysis, factors that were predictive of a favorable response included: localized/sinus IA vs. disseminated/pulmonary IA (P < 0.0001), not receiving WBC transfusion (P < 0.01), and DDA-VORI vs. EMP-non-Vori (P < 0.0001). On the other hand, predictors of mortality within 6 weeks of initiation of IA therapy included disseminated/pulmonary infection vs. localized/sinus IA (P < 0.01), not having stem-cell transplant within 1 year prior of IA (P = 0.01) and EMP-non-Vori vs. DDA-Vori (P < 0.001).Conclusion DDA-Vori is associated with a better outcome (response and survival) when compared with EMP-non-Vori and equivalent outcome to EMP-Vori. The superior to equivalent outcome associated with the DDA approach could also reduce unnecessary costs and adverse events associated with widespread use of empiric therapy.Disclosures I. Raad, Merck: Grant Investigator, Research grant. Allergan: Grant Investigator, Research grant. Infective Technologies, LLC: Co-Inventor of the Nitroglycerin-Citrate-Ethanol catheter lock solution technology which is owned by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC) and has been licensed by Novel Anti-Infective Technologies, LLC in which Dr. Raad is a s and Shareholder, Licensing agreement or royalty

Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis: An Emerging Association With Influenza B

SESSION TITLE: Bacterial Infections 2 SESSION TYPE: Affiliate Case Report Poster PRESENTED ON: Tuesday, October 31, 2017 at 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM INTRODUCTION: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in critically ill patients is on the rise, but its exact incidence is unclear as the majority of the literature is focused on influenza A co-infection. CASE PRESENTATION: A previously healthy 70 year old male, a farmer by occupation, presented with a flu-like prodrome for 3 days prior to admission. Besides a 40-pack year smoking history, he had no known co-morbidities or risk factors and was found to have Influenza B (IB) and streptococcal pneumonia. His cardio-respiratory status rapidly deteriorated secondary to severe sepsis and ARDS requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. Radiographic imaging of the chest demonstrated multifocal heterogenous opacities of bilateral lung fields with ground glass opacification in the left lower lobe. Sputum gram stain and culture grew Aspergillus fumigatus and serum ß-D glucan assay levels were 193 pg/mL. Bronchoscopy showed mucosal hyperemia with raised pock-like lesions, clustered along the distal right mainstem and right upper lobe bronchi (Figure 1A). There was a non-sloughing, irregular, flat endobronchial lesion adherent to the right upper lobe secondary carina (Figure 1B). The bronchoalveolar lavage culture grew Aspergillus fumigatus and was positive for IB by polymerase chain reaction. The diagnosis of IPA was confirmed with an endobronchial forceps biopsy of the mucosal lesion. Combination therapy with voriconazole and oseltamivir was initiated, along with broad-spectrum antimicrobial coverage. Over twelve days, the clinical course improved with successful extubation and he was discharged home on voriconazole. DISCUSSION: IPA with influenza A has been associated with a rapidly progressive mortality, and recent literature has shown IB to cause equally serious infections.1,2 The earliest report of IPA with IB is from Japan in 2005.3 Disrupted ciliary clearance in the bronchial tree during IB infection predisposes the patient to an invasive fungal infection.3 Interestingly, our patient’s predilection to fungus can also be attributed to extensive smoking and a farming background. Treatment duration with voriconazole can range up to fifty weeks and should be closely monitored with imaging and microbiological evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: IPA with IB is a diagnosis with high morbidity and mortality,1,2 and further investigation is essential to determine its relationship with influenza outbreaks, clinical impact of rapid diagnosis and significance of combination therapy. Reference #1: Park, D.W., et al., Fatal clinical course of probable invasive pulmonary aspergillosis with influenza B infection in an immunocompetent patient. Tuberc Respir Dis (Seoul), 2014. 77(3): p. 141-4. Reference #2: Nulens, E.F., M.J. Bourgeois, and M.B. Reynders, Post-influenza aspergillosis, do not underestimate influenza B. Infect Drug Resist, 2017. 10: p. 61-67. Reference #3: Hasejima, N., et al., Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis associated with influenza B. Respirology, 2005. 10(1): p. 116-9. DISCLOSURE: The following authors have nothing to disclose: Nissy Ann Philip, Christopher Radchenko No Product/Research Disclosure Information

Comparison of real-time PCR, nested PCR, and galactomannan antigen detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in sera for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis

Conventional methods for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) lack sensitivity and specificity. Serological methods still have many cases of cross-reactivity. However, molecular techniques seem to arise as a rapid approach, specific and direct that could be used in the diagnosis of IA. In this study, we analyzed 88serum samples from patients of having IA using GM-ELISA test, nested PCR with primers for the rRNA 18S of Aspergillus genus and real time PCR specific for A.fumigatus. Among the 88samples, 64of them had positive GM titers and 23had positive nested PCRs; 18of the 23PCR-positive samples were also GM-positive. On the other hand, 18samples were detected positive by reel time PCR; 13positive samples were also detecting positive by nested PCR. QPCR revealed 26% of the patients with IA, while nested PCR and galactomannan ELISA revealed respectively 34% and 94% of the patients with IA. Probable IA was diagnosed in 18and possible IA was diagnosed in 6episodes. Forty-four episodes were defined as not having IA. The positive and negative predictive values were respectively 100%, and 88% for QPCR, 100% and 97% for nested PCR, and 28% and 60% for GM test. These results suggesting that combined use of methods might improve the diagnosis of IA.

Culture-Based Methods and Molecular Tools for Azole-Resistant Aspergillus fumigatus Detection in a Belgian University Hospital.

Azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus is an increasing worldwide problem with major clinical implications. Surveillance is warranted to guide clinicians to provide optimal treatment to patients. To investigate azole resistance in clinical Aspergillus isolates in our institution, a Belgian university hospital, we conducted a laboratory-based surveillance between June 2015 and October 2016. Two different approaches were used: a prospective culture-based surveillance using VIPcheck on unselected A. fumigatus (n = 109 patients, including 19 patients with proven or probable invasive aspergillosis [IA]), followed by molecular detection of mutations conferring azole resistance, and a retrospective detection of azole-resistant A. fumigatus in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid using the commercially available AsperGenius PCR (n = 100 patients, including 29 patients with proven or probable IA). By VIPcheck, 25 azole-resistant A. fumigatus specimens were isolated from 14 patients (12.8%). Of these 14 patients, only 2 had proven or probable IA (10.5%). Mutations at the cyp51A gene were observed in 23 of the 25 A. fumigatus isolates; TR34/L98H was the most prevalent mutation (46.7%), followed by TR46/Y121F/T289A (26.7%). Twenty-seven (27%) patients were positive for the presence of Aspergillus species by AsperGenius PCR. A. fumigatus was detected by AsperGenius in 20 patients, and 3 of these patients carried cyp51A mutations. Two patients had proven or probable IA and cyp51A mutation (11.7%). Our study has shown that the detection of azole-resistant A. fumigatus in clinical isolates was a frequent finding in our institution. Hence, a rapid method for resistance detection may be useful to improve patient management. Centers that care for immunocompromised patients should perform routine surveillance to determine their local epidemiology.

The misleading effect of serum galactomannan testing in high-risk haematology patients receiving prophylaxis with micafungin

ObjectivesTo investigate the performance of the routine serum galactomannan (sGM) assay in the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in high-risk haematology patients receiving prophylaxis with micafungin. MethodsRetrospective study including all haematological patients who received prophylaxis with micafungin during high-risk IA episodes (neutropenic patients after chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukaemia/myelodysplastic syndrome; allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation during early neutropenic phase or graft-versus-host disease requiring high prednisone doses) and for whom at least one sGM result was available. Episodes were classified as follows: true-positive (positive GM in the context of IA), false-positive (positive GM result in patients who had no evidence of IA), true-negative (negative GM test results and no IA), or false-negative (negative GM test in the context of IA). Non-evaluable patients were excluded. ResultsAmong 146 evaluable episodes, four were true-positive in the context of probable breakthrough IA (incidence of breakthrough IA, 2.7%); 111/146 high-risk episodes (76%) were considered true-negative and 31/146 (21.2%) were considered false-positive. No false-negative episodes were detected. All but one of the false-positive episodes were detected in surveillance GM tests, leading to high-resolution CT scans in eight cases (8/31; 25.8%), all of which were negative. The positive predictive and negative predictive values of sGM for surveillance and diagnostic approaches were 3.2% (1/31) and 100% (110/110) and 75% (3/4) and 100% (1/1), respectively. ConclusionsSurveillance of asymptomatic patients receiving prophylaxis with micafungin using sGM is unnecessary, because the results are either negative or false-positive. However, sGM remains useful in the diagnosis of breakthrough IA in symptomatic patients during prophylaxis.

Invasive aspergillosis in patients with underlying liver cirrhosis: a prospective cohort study.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in patients with liver cirrhosis and the performance of serum galactomannan (GM) screening. Patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis and patients with compensated liver cirrhosis presenting with fever and/or respiratory symptoms were prospectively enrolled. All patients were screened by serum GM twice weekly irrespective of clinical signs and symptoms. Positive serum GM triggered work-up consisting of chest computed tomography and in case of pathological findings bronchoscopy. 150 patients were included in the study. Two (1.3%) had probable, one (0.7%) had possible, and 147 (98%) had no evidence of IA. Both patients with probable IA had compensated liver cirrhosis. Sensitivity for serum GM screening for probable versus no IA was 0.5 (95% CI, 0.09-0.91), specificity 0.97 (95% CI: 0.92-0.99), negative predictive value 0.99 (95% CI, 0.96-0.99) and positive predictive value (PPV) 0.17 (95% CI, 0.01-0.64). PPV was 0.5 (95% CI, 0.03-0.98) in patients with clinical suspicion of IA. In conclusion, prevalence of IA in patients with liver cirrhosis seems to be low. Targeted GM testing in case of clinical suspicion of IA may be associated with markedly higher PPVs when compared to universal GM screening in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Triazole Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus Clinical Isolates Obtained in Nanjing, China.

Background:During the past decades, the incidence of invasive aspergillosis (IA) caused by Aspergillus fumigatus has increased dramatically. The aims of this study were to investigate the susceptibility of clinical isolates of A. fumigatus to triazole and the underlying cyp51A mutations in triazole-resistant A. fumigatus.Methods:A total of 126 A. fumigatus clinical isolates from 126 patients with proven or probable IA were obtained from four large tertiary hospitals in Nanjing, China, between August 2012 and July 2015. The determination of minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for itraconazole, voriconazole, and posaconazole was performed by broth microdilution according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing reference method.Results:A total of 4 A. fumigatus isolates (3.17%) were confirmed to be itraconazole resistant, with MICs of ≥8 mg/L, and one isolate (0.8%) was confirmed to be voriconazole resistant and posaconazole resistant, with MICs of 4 mg/L and 0.5 mg/L, respectively. We found that two of the 4 isolates of triazole-resistant A. fumigatus had the L98H amino acid substitution in combination with a 34-base pair tandem repeat in the promoter region, one isolate had an M220I mutation, and another itraconazole-resistant isolate did not have a substitution in the cyp51A gene.Conclusions:This study shows that triazole-resistant A. fumigatus clinical isolates are present in Nanjing, China, which is a new challenge to the clinical management of IA.