Galactomannan use in clinical practice: providing free testing is not the full answer

Abstract

The correct use of galactomannan testing is essential for an early diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis, which may improve the prognosis of the disease. We demonstrated that clinicians usually ask for galactomannan tests to confirm imaging findings in patients who frequently were on antifungal drugs, something that could be improved by medical education. We observed a low frequency of galactomannan use for preemptive antifungal therapy (25.7%), which is worrying considering the well-known beneficial use of GM testing in this scenario.