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Prospective screening by a panfungal polymerase chain reaction assay in patients at risk for fungal infections: implications for the management of febrile neutropenia
Author(s) -
Hebart Holger,
Löffler Jürgen,
Reitze Heike,
Engel Andreas,
Schumacher Ulrike,
Klingebiel Thomas,
Bader Peter,
Böhme Angelika,
Martin Hans,
Bunjes Donald,
Kern Winfried V.,
Kanz Lothar,
Einsele Hermann
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2141.2000.02378.x
Subject(s) - neutropenia , polymerase chain reaction , febrile neutropenia , medicine , prospective cohort study , chemotherapy , immunology , biology , biochemistry , gene
Invasive fungal infections are a major cause of mortality in neutropenic cancer patients. To determine whether a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based assay enabled the identification of patients at risk for invasive fungal infections, a prospective monitoring once per week was performed during 92 neutropenic episodes in patients receiving chemotherapy for acute leukaemia or high‐dose therapy followed by allogeneic or autologous stem cell transplantation, with the investigators blinded to clinical and microbiological data. PCR positivity was documented in 34 out of 92 risk episodes. All patients developing proven invasive fungal infection were found PCR positive, and PCR was found to be the earliest indicator of invasive fungal infection preceding clinical evidence by a mean of 5·75 d (range 0–14 d). In febrile neutropenic patients without a prior history of invasive fungal infection, a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 73% of the PCR assay for the development of proven or probable invasive fungal infection was documented. In conclusion, panfungal PCR performed prospectively once a week enabled the identification of patients at high risk for invasive fungal infections.