Evaluation of MycAssay™ Aspergillus for diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients without hematological cancer

PLoS One. 2013 Apr 19;8(4):e61545. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061545. Print 2013.

Abstract

Methods based on real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can speed up the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis but are limited by a lack of standardization. We evaluated the commercially available MycAssay™ Aspergillus test for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in patients without hematological cancer. We prospectively collected 322 lower respiratory tract samples (November 2009-January 2011) from 175 patients with lower respiratory tract infection and the following predisposing conditions: solid cancer (16.8%), cirrhosis (16.8%), corticosteroid therapy (71.7%), HIV infection (15.6%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 52.6%), solid organ transplantation (kidney [1.2%], heart [3%], liver [4.6%]), or none (3.5%). Specimens were obtained when clinically indicated and analyzed in the microbiology laboratory. Aspergillus DNA was extracted and amplified by means of MycXtra® and MycAssay™ Aspergillus. Aspergillus spp. was isolated from 65 samples (31 patients). According to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Bulpa's criteria (for patients with COPD), 15 had probable invasive aspergillosis. MycAssay™ Aspergillus results were negative (n = 254), positive (n = 54), or indeterminate (n = 14). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic odds ratio of the MycAssay™ (first sample/any sample) were 86.7/93, 87.6/82.4, 34.1/34.1, 92.2/100, and 48/68.75. The differences between the proportion of samples with positive PCR determinations (63%) and the proportion of samples with Aspergillus spp. isolation (75%) did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.112). The median time from sample culture to visualization of fungal growth was 3 days, compared with ∼4 hours for MycAssay™ Aspergillus PCR. MycAssay™ Aspergillus showed high sensitivity for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in patients without hematological cancer. Sensitivity increased when multiple samples were used. Compared with fungal culture, PCR significantly reduced the time to diagnosis.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aspergillus / isolation & purification*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Hematologic Neoplasms / complications*
  • Humans
  • Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis / complications*
  • Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis / diagnosis*
  • Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis / microbiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Reagent Kits, Diagnostic*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Reagent Kits, Diagnostic

Grants and funding

This study was partially financed by grants from the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS) CP09/00055 and PI09/1257 (Instituto de Salud Carlos III) and by grants from Myconostica. Jesús Guinea (MS09/00055) and Pilar Escribano (CD09/00230) are supported by the FIS. The MycXtra® and MycAssayTM Aspergillus kits used to perform the study were kindly supported by Izasa (Barcelona, Spain). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.