title: [Plasma (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan level in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis].
abstract: We measured the plasma (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan (beta-DG) levels in patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and compared their temporal changes with those of serum IgE and eosinophil counts in the peripheral blood. The subjects were three ABPA patients who were newly diagnosed or had had a relapse between May 1998 and April 1999. Before treatment, all three cases showed high plasma beta-DG values, which declined following corticosteroid treatment with or without oral itraconazole. In two cases, the beta-DG values rose again on relapse. beta-DG values showed a tendency to change in parallel with IgE, although they moved in the opposite direction after a relapse in one case. The present findings suggest that the plasma beta-DG level may be a useful follow-up indicator of the infectious aspect of this disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Koseiren Takaoka Hospital, Takaoka, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujimura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001229:Aspergillosis, Allergic Bronchopulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005936:Glucans / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D017964:Itraconazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012008:Recurrence; D047071:beta-Glucans
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005936:Glucans; D047071:beta-Glucans; D017964:Itraconazole; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; C033363:beta-1,3-glucan; D011239:Prednisolone