1. Histoplasmosis as a cause for a positive Fungitell (1 --> 3)-beta-D-glucan test.
- Author
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Egan L, Connolly P, Wheat LJ, Fuller D, Dais TE, Knox KS, and Hage CA
- Subjects
- Antigens, Fungal blood, Fungemia blood, Histoplasma immunology, Histoplasma isolation & purification, Histoplasmosis diagnosis, Humans, Lung Diseases, Fungal blood, Proteoglycans, Sensitivity and Specificity, Histoplasmosis blood, Serologic Tests methods, beta-Glucans blood
- Abstract
We evaluated the Fungitell beta-glucan (BG) test with specimens from patients with presumed histoplasmosis. The sensitivity of the test was 87% in histoplasmosis cases and had a specificity of 68% with controls. Histoplasmosis should be considered as a possible cause for a positive BG test, but such results may be found with many other conditions that are clinically similar to this fungal disease. Therefore, there is a need to conduct confirmatory tests for histoplasmosis in the appropriate clinical setting.
- Published
- 2008
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