Reply to Miceli and Anaissie

Figure 1. Frequency of peak galactomannan serum ratios in 22 hematology patients with proven and probable invasive aspergillosis. A case patient is a patient with invasive aspergillosis primarily treated with caspofungin who experiences a subsequent unexpected increase in galactomannan level ( ). P p .03 tropenic rabbits. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2002; 46:1857–69. 5. Petraitiene R, Petraitis V, Groll AH, et al. Antifungal efficacy of caspofungin (MK-0991) in experimental pulmonary aspergillosis in persistently neutropenic rabbits: pharmacokinetics, drug disposition, and relationship to galactomannan antigenemia. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2002; 46:12–23. 6. Petraitis V, Petriatiene R, Hope W, et al. Combination therapy of voriconazole and anidulafungin improves outcome of experimental pulmonary aspergilllosis [abstract M-882]. In: Program and abstracts of the 46th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (San Francisco). 2006. 7. van Vianen W, de Marie S, ten Kate MT, Mathot RA, Bakker-Woudenberg IA. Caspofungin: antifungal activity in vitro, pharmacokinetics, and effects on fungal load and animal survival in neutropenic rats with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. J Antimicrob Chemother 2006; 57:732–40. 8. Sionov E, Mendlovic S, Segal E. Efficacy of amphotericin B or amphotericin B-intralipid in combination with caspofungin against experimental aspergillosis. J Infect 2006; 53: 131–9. 9. Sionov E, Mendlovic S, Segal E. Experimental systemic murine aspergillosis: treatment with polyene and caspofungin combination and GCSF. J Antimicrob Chemother 2005; 56:594–7. 10. Dennis CG, Greco WR, Brun Y, et al. Effect of amphotericin B and micafungin combination on survival, histopathology, and fungal burden in experimental aspergillosis in the p47phox-/mouse model of chronic granulomatous disease. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2006; 50:422–7. 11. Luther K, Torosantucci A, Brakhage AA, Heesemann J, Ebel F. Phagocytosis of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia by murine macrophages involves recognition by the dectin-1 beta-glucan receptor and Toll-like receptor 2. Cell Microbiol 2006; 9:368–81. 12. Caillot D, Couaillier JF, Bernard A, et al. Increasing volume and changing characteristics of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis on sequential thoracic computed tomography scans in patients with neutropenia. J Clin Oncol 2001; 19:253–9. 13. Takuma T, Okada K, Uchida Y, Yamagata Am, Sawae Y. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis resulting in respiratory failure during neutrophil recovery from postchemotherapy neutropenia in three patients with acute leukaemia. J Intern Med 2002; 252:173–7. 14. Todeschini G, Murari C, Bonesi R, et al. Invasive aspergillosis in neutropenic patients: rapid neutrophil recovery is a risk factor for severe pulmonary complications. Eur J Clin Invest 1999; 29:453–7. Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Elias J. Anaissie, Supportive Care, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham, #776, Little Rock, AR 72205 (anaissieeliasj@uams.edu).