Serodiagnosis of Penicillium marneffei infection.
Diagnosis of Penicillium marneffei infection is often made late. We evaluated an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test for P marneffei in serum from 103 patients with persistent fever and from 78 normal subjects. Germinating conidia (initial tissue-invasion phase) and yeast-hyphae (tissue multiplication phase) forms were used as antigen. All 8 documented P marneffei cases (8%) had an IgG titre of 160 or more; the other 95 patients and all the healthy controls had an IgG titre of 40 or below. Blood culture was positive in only 1 case with HIV infection. Biopsy and culture of tissues were necessary for confirmation in the other 7 cases. The test could provide rapid presumptive diagnosis and supplement conventional culture.
Yuen
K Y
KY
Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong.
Wong
S S
SS
Tsang
D N
DN
Chau
P Y
PY
D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000097:blood*; D001706:Biopsy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D009181:Mycoses / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D010407:Penicillium / Q000145:classification*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests
D000908:Antibodies, Fungal