Detection of Aspergillus galactomannan antigen in foods and antibiotics

Abstract

The specificity of the Pastorex Aspergillus latex agglutination test for the diagnosis of manifest aspergillosis is hampered by the occurrence of false-positive results. In order to prove whether or not the false-positive reactions may be caused by the uptake of the soluble galactomannan antigen from the environment, the presence of the antigen was tested in foods, air samples, antibiotics for therapeutic use and faeces. Reactions of the Aspergillus latex agglutination test were found in 15 (79%) out of 19 samples of meals prepared in a hospital kitchen, in five out of six canned vegetables from a supermarket, in all of six samples of pasta and rice bought in health shops, in the faeces of four bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients and of four healthy subjects and in one and two batches of the antibiotics co-amoxyclav and piperacillin respectively. The concentration of the antigen in faecal material was calculated to be in the range of 1.2-38.4 micrograms g-1. It is concluded that the faecal galactomannan antigen may reach the circulation in patients with dysfunction of the intestinal mucosal barrier, e.g. BMT recipients, thus leading to diagnostically false-positive antigenaemia.

False-positive results of Aspergillus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a patient with chronic graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

“…The first is the presence of occult infection or transient Aspergillus antigenemia. False-positive results of GM EIA have been reported to occur in BMT recipients, 9 neutropenic patients 10 and premature neonates. 11 Because these patients have dysfunction of the intestinal or bronchial mucosal barrier, fecal or bronchial GM antigens may reach the circulation, thus leading to diagnostically false-positive antigenemia.…”

Evaluation of Risk Factors for Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis and Detection of Diagnostic Values of Galactomannan and PCR Methods in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Samples From Non-Neutropenic Intensive Care Unit Patients

“…Galaktomannan antijeni; beta-laktam antibiyotik kullanımı, Aspergillus kolonizasyonu, diğer mantarlar ve gıdalarla çapraz reaksiyon ve laboratuvar kontaminasyonu nedeniyle pozitif olarak saptanabilmektedir 26,27 . Aubry ve arkadaşları 28 tarafından yapılan çalışma-da, immünosüpresif hastalarda beta-laktam kullanımının, serum GM antijenini ortalama üçüncü günde pozitifl eştirdiği ve tedavi kesilmesine rağmen pozitifl iğin ortalama 5.5 gün devam ettiği gösterilmiştir.…”

Investigating the Presence of Aspergillus fumigatus and A. flavus Using Galactomannan Enzyme Assay and TaqMan Real-Time PCR Technique

“…These outcomes are constant with the inspection that antifungal therapy might bring down the fungal burden in the lung tissue (12,(18)(19)(20). However, due to crossreactivity between GM antigen and some antibiotics (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28) in patients who receive these antibiotics, the result of the GM assay may be controversial. Thus, additional specific 4 Jundishapur J Microbiol.…”