Histoplasma antigen detection in unconfirmed pulmonary tuberculosis and cross-reactivity with Aspergillus antigen in patients and in food in Jakarta, Indonesia.

PURPOSE: H. capsulatum is endemic in Indonesia, but the value of Histoplasma antigen detection has not been studied. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Histoplasma galactomannan (GM) ELISA was applied to sera of patients with unproven pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and patients with a positive Aspergillus GM. Both Histoplasma and Aspergillus GM tests were performed to determine any possible cross-reaction with certain foods. RESULTS: Fourteen of 122 (11.5%) sera of patients with newly diagnosed clinical TB were positive for Histoplasma GM. The positivity rate in the serum of patients 5-6 and 12 months after TB diagnosis was 3.8% and 3.5%, respectively. Of 88 positive Aspergillus GM sera, 63 (71.6%) were also positive for Histoplasma GM. All tested foods were positive for Aspergillus GM, while 65% of foods were positive for Histoplasma GM. CONCLUSION: Galactomannan is widespread in sera and food in Jakarta, possibly related to food consumption. Histoplasma and Aspergillus antigen detection for the diagnosis will require additional means of confirming the diagnosis; negative tests may be more helpful for ruling out invasive histoplasmosis and aspergillosis.

Expert Panel Recommendations on the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Invasive Candidiasis in Indonesia.

Invasive candidiasis (IC) ranks among the primary causes of deadly fungal infections. The frequency of IC rises alongside increasing number of patients with altered immune systems, critically ill, chronic diseases, and various medical procedures. The disease causes high morbidity and mortality, as well as prolonged stay and increases hospital costs. The diagnosis and management of IC in Indonesia is still a challenge. Laboratory facilities in identifying pathogenic fungi and susceptibility tests to antifungals are still limited. Clinical awareness and financial support from health policymakers are also insufficient. Early diagnosis is essential for proper treatment to reduce morbidity and mortality rates. Initiated by the Indonesian Pulmonary Mycoses Centre (IPMC), several expert representatives from six medical professional organizations in Indonesia have agreed to set up a meeting series to prepare a joint draft on the diagnosis and management of IC. The expert panel aimed to achieve a consensus on the clinical practice guidelines for diagnosing and treating IC in Indonesia.

A prospective longitudinal study of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis in pulmonary tuberculosis in Indonesia (APICAL).

OBJECTIVES: Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) can complicate recovery from pulmonary TB. CPA may also be misdiagnosed as bacteriologically negative TB. This study aimed to determine the incidence of CPA in patients treated for TB in Indonesia, a country with a high incidence of TB. METHODS: In this prospective, longitudinal cohort study in patients treated for pulmonary TB, clinical, radiological and laboratory findings were analysed. Sputum was collected for fungal culture and TB PCR. Patients were assessed at baseline (0-8 weeks) and at the end (5-6 months) of TB therapy. CPA diagnosis was based on symptoms (≥3 months), characteristic radiological features and positive Aspergillus serology, and categorised as proven, probable and possible. RESULTS: Of the 216 patients recruited, 128 (59%) were followed up until end of TB therapy. At baseline, 91 (42%) had microbiological evidence for TB. Aspergillus-specific IgG was positive in 64 (30%) patients and went from negative to positive in 16 (13%) patients during TB therapy. The incidence rates of proven and probable CPA at baseline were 6% (n=12) and 2% (n=5) and end of TB therapy 8% (n=10) and 5% (n=7), respectively. Six patients (two with confirmed TB) developed an aspergilloma. Diabetes mellitus was a significant risk factor for CPA (p=0.040). Persistent cough (n=5, 50%; p=0.005) and fatigue (n=6, 60%; p=0.001) were the most common symptoms in CPA. CONCLUSION: CPA should be considered a relatively frequent differential diagnosis in patients with possible or proven TB in Indonesia. Lack of awareness and limited access to Aspergillus-specific IgG tests and CT imaging are obstacles in establishing a CPA diagnosis.

Factors Associated with Death in COVID-19 Patients in Jakarta, Indonesia: An Epidemiological Study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus Disease 2019 is an emerging respiratory disease that is now a pandemic. Indonesia is experiencing a rapid surge of cases but the local data are scarce. METHODS: this is an analysis using data from the ongoing recapitulation of Epidemiological Surveillance (ES) by the Provincial Health Office of Jakarta from March 2nd to April 27th 2020. We evaluated demographic and clinical characteristics of all confirmed cases in association with death. RESULTS: of the 4,052 patients, 381 (9.4%) patients were deceased. Multivariable analysis showed that death was associated with older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02, 1.05, per year increase; p<0.001), dyspnea (OR 4.83; 95% CI 3.20, 7.29; p<0.001), pneumonia (OR 2.46; 95%CI 1.56, 3.88; p<0.001), and pre-existing hypertension (OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.24, 2.78; p=0.003). Death was highest in the week of April 6th 2020 and declined in the subsequent weeks, after a large-scale social restriction commenced. CONCLUSION: older age, dyspnea, pneumonia, and pre-existing hypertension were associated with death. Mortality was high, but may be reduced by lockdown.

Pulmonary cryptococcosis: A review of pathobiology and clinical aspects.

Pulmonary cryptococcosis is an important opportunistic invasive mycosis in immunocompromised patients, but it is also increasingly seen in immunocompetent patients. The main human pathogens are Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii, which have a worldwide distribution. In contrast to cryptococcal meningitis, pulmonary cryptococcosis is still underdiagnosed because of limitations in diagnostic tools. It can mimic lung cancer, pulmonary tuberculosis, bacterial pneumonia, and other pulmonary mycoses both clinically and radiologically. Pulmonary nodules are the most common radiological feature, but these are not specific to pulmonary cryptococcosis. The sensitivity of culture of respiratory samples for Cryptococcus is poor and a positive result may also reflect colonisation. Cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) with lateral flow device is a fast and sensitive test and widely used on serum and cerebrospinal fluid, but sera from patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis are rarely positive in the absence of disseminated disease. Detection of CrAg from respiratory specimens might assist the diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis but there are very few data. Molecular detection techniques such as multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) could also provide better sensitivity but these still require validation for respiratory specimens. The first line of treatment for pulmonary cryptococcosis is fluconazole, or amphotericin B and flucytosine for those with central nervous system involvement. Pulmonary cryptococcosis worsens the prognosis of cryptococcal meningitis. In this review, we summarize the biological aspects of Cryptococcus and provide an update on the diagnosis and management of pulmonary cryptococcosis.

Case Definition of Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Resource-Constrained Settings.

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is a recognized complication of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). In 2015, the World Health Organization reported 2.2 million new cases of nonbacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB; some of these patients probably had undiagnosed CPA. In October 2016, the Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections convened an international expert panel to develop a case definition of CPA for resource-constrained settings. This panel defined CPA as illness for >3 months and all of the following: 1) weight loss, persistent cough, and/or hemoptysis; 2) chest images showing progressive cavitary infiltrates and/or a fungal ball and/or pericavitary fibrosis or infiltrates or pleural thickening; and 3) a positive Aspergillus IgG assay result or other evidence of Aspergillus infection. The proposed definition will facilitate advancements in research, practice, and policy in lower- and middle-income countries as well as in resource-constrained settings.

The Fungal and Bacterial Interface in the Respiratory Mycobiome with a Focus on Aspergillus spp.

The heterogeneity of the lung microbiome and its alteration are prevalently seen among chronic lung diseases patients. However, studies to date have primarily focused on the bacterial microbiome in the lung rather than fungal composition, which might play an essential role in the mechanisms of several chronic lung diseases. It is now well established that Aspergillus spp. colonies may induce various unfavorable inflammatory responses. Furthermore, bacterial microbiomes such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa provide several mechanisms that inhibit or stimulate Aspergillus spp. life cycles. In this review, we highlighted fungal and bacterial microbiome interactions in the respiratory tract, with a focus on Aspergillus spp.

Unravelling the Molecular Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility Profiles of Aspergillus spp. Isolated from Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis Patients in Jakarta, Indonesia: The Emergence of Cryptic Species.

Cryptic species of Aspergillus have rapidly increased in the last few decades. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is a debilitating fungal infection frequently affecting patients with previous TB. The identification and antifungal susceptibility profiles of different species of Aspergillus are important to support the management of CPA. The aim of this study was to describe the molecular and susceptibility profiles of Aspergillus isolated from CPA patients. The species identity of isolates was determined by combined DNA analyses of internal transcribed space (ITS), partial ß-tubulin genes, and part of the calmodulin gene. We revealed a high (27%) prevalence of cryptic species among previous tuberculosis patients with persistent symptoms. Twenty-nine (49%) patients met the criteria for diagnosis of CPA with 24% containing Aspergillus cryptic species. This is the first report of five cryptic Aspergillus species from clinical isolates in Indonesia: A. aculea tus, A. neoniger, A. brunneoviolacues, A. welwitschiae, and A. tubingensis. Significantly, there was decreased sensitivity against itraconazole in the CPA group (66% susceptible to itraconazole) compared to the non-CPA group (90% susceptible to itraconazole) (p = 0.003). The species-level characterisation of Aspergillus and its antifungal susceptibility tests demands greater attention to better the management of CPA patients.

Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization in bronchoalveolar lavage among naïve non-small cell lung cancer from tertiary respiratory hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia.

INTRODUCTION: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is a lung mycosis commonly found in immunocompromised patients (e.g., HIV patients); however, its role in solid cancer remains unclear. This study aims to identify Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization among naïve non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) through bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and explore its correlation with clinical parameters. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study recruited newly diagnosed naïve NSCLC patients who had not been given systemic treatments. We tested BAL from patients for P. jirovecii colonization with nested PCR targeting the mtLSU rRNA gene. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained from medical records, and the correlation between P. jirovecii colonization and clinicopathological data were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier analyses were done to evaluate survival. RESULTS: Among 56 newly diagnosed, naïve NSCLC patients enrolled, the prevalence of P. jirovecii colonization was 17.9% (10 subjects). There was no statistically significant difference in demographic and clinical characteristics between the P. jirovecii colonization group versus no colonization (p value > 0.05). The overall survival duration for both groups demonstrated no significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated a relatively high prevalence of P. jirovecii colonization among BAL samples of naïve Indonesian NSCLC patients. Further study is needed to delineate its implications for the potential transmission source, lung cancer pathogenesis, and prognosis.

Molecular typing and antifungal susceptibility study of Aspergillus spp. in intensive care unit (ICU) patients in Indonesia.

INTRODUCTION: Aspergillus exhibits a wide variation of susceptibility against antifungals according to genetic and environmental factors. Identification to the species level is necessary for appropriate treatment. Our objective was to determine the Aspergillus species involved in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) among ICU patients in Jakarta, Indonesia. METHODOLOGY: The incidence of IPA in ICU patients at six hospitals in Jakarta from October 2012 - January 2015 was investigated. It involved a collection of endotracheal aspirates (ETA), nasal swabs and environmental samples around the hospitals, phenotypic screening, molecular characterization, and antifungal susceptibility testing. RESULTS: Of the 405 patients investigated, 31 patients (7.7%) were diagnosed with putative IPA, from whom 45 Aspergillus isolates were collected. Aspergillus isolates were identified from pulmonary secretions in 24 patients, from nasal swabs in 7 patients and from both pulmonary secretions and nasal swabs in 7 patients. The phenotypic method showed 33 isolates of Aspergillus flavus (73.4%), nine Aspergillus fumigatus (20%), two Aspergillus niger (4.4%), and one Aspergillus nidulans (2.2%) isolate. Molecular identification showed 27 isolates of A. flavus (60.0%), eight isolates of A. fumigatus (17.8%), two isolates of A. niger (4.4%) and one isolate of A. nidulans (2.2%), while seven isolates (15.6%) were cryptic species or mixed isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Susceptibility testing showed all isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B, azoles and micafungin. Aspergillus flavus was the main causative organism in IPA cases in Jakarta, followed by A. fumigatus.

Performance of LDBio Aspergillus WB and ICT Antibody Detection in Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis.

The detection of Aspergillus antibody has a key role in the diagnosis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis. Western blot (WB) and immunochromatography (ICT) lateral flow detection of Aspergillus antibody can be used as confirmatory and screening assays but their comparative performance in TB patients is not known. This study investigated the performance of these assays among 88 post-tuberculosis patients with suspected CPA. Sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating curve (ROC), area under-curve (AUC) and the agreement between two assays were evaluated. Both WB and ICT showed good sensitivity (80% and 85%, respectively) for detection of Aspergillus antibodies. Substantial agreement (0.716) between these assays was also obtained. The highest AUC result (0.804) was achieved with the combination of WB and ICT. The global intensity of WB correlated with the severity of symptoms in CPA group (p = 0.001). The combination of WB and ICT may increase specificity in CPA diagnosis.

Clinical outcomes of patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis managed surgically.

OBJECTIVES: Surgical resection is one treatment modality for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), and sometimes a preoperative presumption of lung cancer turns out to be CPA. We have audited our surgical experience with regard to risk factors for relapse, and the value of postoperative monitoring of Aspergillus-immunogolubulin G (IgG) titres. METHODS: All patients with CPA surgically treated at National Aspergillosis Centre (NAC), Manchester, UK (2007-2018), were retrospectively evaluated. Surgical procedures, underlying disorders, Aspergillus-IgG titres (ImmunoCap) and antifungal therapy were evaluated for symptom control, operative complications, CPA relapse and mortality. RESULTS: A total of 61 patients with CPA (28 males, 33 females) were operated on primarily for antifungal therapy failure (51%, n = 31) and presumed lung malignancies (38%, n = 23). Procedures included lobectomy (64%, n = 39), wedge resection (28%, n = 17), segmentectomy (n = 3), pneumonectomy (n = 3) and decortication (n = 2). Overall, 25 (41%) patients relapsed, 26 months (standard deviation: 24.8 months) after surgery. Antifungal therapy before surgery (P = 0.002) or both before and after surgery (P = 0.005) were protective for relapse. The relapse rate within 3 years after surgery (33%, n = 20) was higher than the 3-10 years after surgery (8%, n = 5). At the end of follow-up, the median Aspergillus-IgG titre was lower than at relapse in 12 patients (67 vs 126 mg/l) (P = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Surgery in these selected patients with CPA resulted in favourable outcomes. Relapse is common after surgical treatment of CPA but can be minimized with antifungal therapy, emphasizing the importance of an accurate diagnosis prior to surgery.

Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Post Tuberculosis Patients in Indonesia and the Role of LDBio Aspergillus ICT as Part of the Diagnosis Scheme.

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is a common sequela of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The diagnosis of CPA is difficult and often misdiagnosed as smear-negative TB in endemic settings. Aspergillus IgG detection is the cornerstone of CPA diagnosis. There are a lack of studies on the prevalence of CPA in GeneXpert/smear-negative TB patients in Indonesia, despite a high number of TB cases. This study aims to determine the CPA rate in HIV-negative, GeneXpert-negative patients presenting with symptoms following completion of TB therapy and to evaluate the performance of LDBio Aspergillus immunochromatographic technology (ICT) lateral flow assay in the diagnosis of CPA. CPA was diagnosed on the basis of symptoms for ≥3 months, characteristic chest imaging and positive Aspergillus culture. Twenty (22%) out of 90 patients met the criteria for CPA. The LDBio test was positive in 16 (80%) CPA patients and in 21 (30%) non-CPA patients (p < 0.001) with 80% sensitivity and 70% specificity. Logistic regression revealed a positive LDBio Aspergillus ICT result, smoking history and diabetes to be important predictors of CPA diagnosis. Although CPA is an unrecognised disease in Indonesia, this study suggests that more than one in five GeneXpert negative patients with persistent symptoms following completion of TB therapy may have CPA.

Evaluation and comparison of automated and manual ELISA for diagnosis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) in Indonesia.

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is one of the common risk factors for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). A positive Aspergillus IgG is a key element of the diagnosis of CPA but this has not been studied in Indonesia. We conducted studies with patients at the end of TB therapy in Indonesia. We performed receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis to determine the optimum cutoff of the Aspergillus-specific IgG level (Immulite and Dynamiker ELISA) in those patients who met criteria of CPA in relation to control groups. In 203 TB patients, 26 (13%) patients had clinical and radiological features of CPA. We derived optimum cutoffs for Immulite Aspergillus-specific IgG of 11.5 mg/L and Dynamiker anti-galactomannan IgG of 106.8 AU/mL (sensitivity 89% and 83%, specificity 78% and 51%, respectively). The currently accepted Aspergillus-specific IgG cutoff of Immulite and Dynamiker assays for CPA diagnosis may require slight adjustment for the Indonesian population.

Mapping histoplasmosis in South East Asia - implications for diagnosis in AIDS.

Histoplasmosis caused by the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum is often lethal in patients with AIDS. Urine antigen testing is highly sensitive and much quicker for diagnosis than culture. Histoplasmosis has a patchy and incompletely appreciated distribution around the world especially in South East Asia. We conducted a systematic literature review of cases of all disease forms of histoplasmosis in SE Asia, not including the Indian sub-continent. We also reviewed all histoplasmin skin test mapping studies to determine localities of exposure. We found a total of 407 cases contracted or likely to have been contracted in SE Asia. Numbers of cases by country varied: Thailand (233), Malaysia (76), Indonesia (48) and Singapore (21), with few or no cases reported in other countries. Most cases (255 (63%)) were disseminated histoplasmosis and 177 (43%) cases were HIV associated. Areas of high histoplasmin skin test sensitivity prevalence were found in Myanmar, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam - 86.4%, 26.0%, 63.6%, 36.0% and 33.7%, respectively. We have drawn maps of these data. Further study is required to ascertain the extent of histoplasmosis within SE Asia. Diagnostic capability for patients with HIV infection is urgently required in SE Asia, to reduce mortality and mis-diagnosis as tuberculosis.