Bloodstream infections are an improbable cause of positive serum (1,3)-β-D-glucan in hematology patients

E Furfaro; M Mikulska; V Del Bono; F Guolo; P Minetto; M Gobbi; A Ghiso; A Bacigalupo; C Viscoli

doi:10.1128/CVI.00214-14

Bloodstream infections are an improbable cause of positive serum (1,3)-β-D-glucan in hematology patients

Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2014 Sep;21(9):1357-9. doi: 10.1128/CVI.00214-14. Epub 2014 Jul 2.

Authors

E Furfaro¹, M Mikulska², V Del Bono², F Guolo³, P Minetto³, M Gobbi³, A Ghiso⁴, A Bacigalupo⁴, C Viscoli²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Martino-IST University Hospital, Genoa, Italy [email protected].
² Division of Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Martino-IST University Hospital, Genoa, Italy.
³ Division of Hematology, IRCCS San Martino-IST University Hospital, Genoa, Italy.
⁴ Division of Hematology and HSCT, IRCCS San Martino-IST University Hospital, Genoa, Italy.

Abstract

Ninety-one serum samples from 51 hematology patients with bacteremia infections were tested for (1,3)-β-d-glucan (BG). Eleven samples (15%) from 7 patients (14%) were positive for BG. Of these 7 patients with positive BG results, 4 (8%) had invasive aspergillosis and 3 (6%) had no invasive fungal disease. Bacteremia was an unlikely cause of the false-positive BG results.

MeSH terms

False Positive Reactions*
Hematologic Neoplasms / complications*
Humans
Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis / diagnosis*
Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis / pathology*
Proteoglycans
Serum / chemistry*
beta-Glucans / blood*

Substances

Proteoglycans
beta-Glucans
polysaccharide-K