Molecular approaches for the diagnosis and epidemiological investigation of Aspergillus infection.
Mycoses
; 42 Suppl 2: 7-10, 1999 Dec.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29265622
ABSTRACT
Molecular techniques have been applied to the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis and to investigate the ecology and epidemiology of Aspergillus. Recent advances in diagnosis include the development of PCRs targeting either panfungal or Aspergillus-specific sequences, using whole blood or serum samples. When a sensitive PCR is used, invasive aspergillosis in bone marrow transplant patients can be detected several weeks before antigen tests become positive, and a positive PCR often pre-dates the institution of antifungal therapy. The role of PCR in monitoring response to therapy in immunocompromised patients is unclear. No prospective studies have yet demonstrated that management incorporating PCR alters the poor outcome of invasive aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients. Molecular typing of Aspergillus fumigatus has shown wide geographical dispersal of indistinguishable strains. This, combined with the observation that multiple strains may be isolated from individual colonised patients with cystic fibrosis and from immunocompromised patients with disseminated disease, makes the elucidation of the epidemiology of aspergillosis relatively complex.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Observational_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Mycoses
Assunto da revista:
MICROBIOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
1999
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido