Open AccessClinical Evaluation of a (1,3)-β- d -Glucan Assay for Presumptive Diagnosis of Pneumocystis jiroveci Pneumonia in Immunocompromised Patients
Author(s) -
Valerio Del Bono,
Alessandra Mularoni,
Elisa Furfaro,
Emanuele Delfino,
Lorenzo Rosasco,
Franca Miletich,
Claudio Viscoli
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
clinical and vaccine immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.649
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1556-6811
pISSN - 1556-679X
DOI - 10.1128/cvi.00276-09
Subject(s) - pneumonia , pneumocystis pneumonia , echinocandins , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , virology , immunology , pneumocystis jirovecii , biology , caspofungin , amphotericin b , antifungal
(1,3)-β-d -Glucan (BG) is a component of thePneumocystis jiroveci cell wall. Thirty-one immunocompromised patients with pneumonia (16 with presumptive pneumocystis pneumonia [PCP] and 15 with non-PCP) were evaluated for serum BG levels. Serum from all 16 presumptive PCP patients and from 2/15 patients with non-PCP was positive for BG. Results indicate that BG is a reliable marker for diagnosing PCP.