title: Measurement of serum D-arabinitol/creatinine ratios for initial diagnosis and for predicting outcome in an unselected, population-based sample of patients with Candida fungemia.
abstract: D-Arabinitol (DA) is a useful diagnostic marker for candidiasis in patients with neutropenia and other high-risk groups, but its use in unselected patients with a broad range of underlying diseases and conditions has not been studied. We used an automated enzymatic fluorometric assay to measure serum DA/creatinine ratios (DA/cr's) in 30 healthy adults, 100 hospitalized controls without Candida fungemia, and 83 patients from a study of all Candida fungemias in Connecticut between October 1998 and September 1999. Sixty-three of 83 (76%) fungemic patients and 11 of 100 (11%) nonfungemic controls had serum DA/cr's >or=3.9 microM/mg/dl (mean + 3 standard deviations for 30 healthy adults). High serum DA/cr's were less frequent in patients with cancer or fungemia caused by the DA nonproducer Candida glabrata than in patients with cancer or fungemia caused by a DA producer, C. albicans, C. tropicalis, or C. parapsilosis. The serum DA/cr was first >or=3.9 microM/mg/dl before, on the same day as, or after the first positive blood culture was drawn for 30 (36%), 22 (27%), and 11 (13%) fungemia patients, respectively. Mortality did not differ significantly among the patients with high or normal initial or peak serum DA/cr's, but mortality was higher if any serum DA/cr value was >or=3.9 microM/mg/dl 3 or more days after the onset of fungemia (18/27 versus 4/24 patients, respectively; P < 0.001). We conclude that serum DA/cr's are useful both for the initial diagnosis of Candida fungemia and for prognostic purposes for unselected patients with a broad range of underlying diseases and conditions.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Section, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Siew Fah
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Yeo
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huie
authors.forename: Andre N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Sofair
authors.forename: Sheldon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Durante
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood*; D016469:Fungemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013402:Sugar Alcohols / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D013402:Sugar Alcohols; D003404:Creatinine; C014999:arabitol