Examination of Galactomannan Antigen Test Results in the Diagnosis of Patients with Suspect of Invasive Aspergillosis

Abstract

Invasive aspergillosis is an infectious disease caused by fungi from the Aspergillus species, and it typically has a high mortality rate among immunosuppressed individuals. Galactomannan antigen (GM) is a polysaccharide found in the cell wall of Aspergillus species and is used for early diagnosis, as traditional diagnostic methods often lead to significant delays in treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the results of galactomannan antigen testing in patients suspected of having invasive aspergillosis. Serum and bronchoalveolar lavage samples from patients with a preliminary diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis were sent to the laboratory for GM antigen testing. The GM antigens were detected using the Magnetic Bead-Coated Chemiluminescence method on the FACIS-I device. Galactomannan antigen positivity was found in 867 (15.3%) of the patients, with 492 (56.7%) of the positive samples coming from blood and 375 (43.3%) from bronchoalveolar lavage. Of the patients with positive galactomannan results, 282 (32.6%) were diagnosed with leukemia, 167 (19.2%) with pneumonia, and 142 (16.3%) with lymphoma. Among the samples that tested positive for the antigen, 343 (39.5%) were sent from Hematology, 292 (33.6%) from Chest Diseases, and 156 (18.1%) from Internal Medicine units. In conclusion, measuring galactomannan levels in serum or bronchoalveolar lavage samples can aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of invasive aspergillosis. Therefore, evaluating galactomannan test results may help reduce mortality and morbidity associated with invasive aspergillosis infections.