Measurement of (1-3)-beta-D-glucan derived from different gauze types.
(1-3)-beta-D-glucan (BDG) is a cell-wall polysaccharide component found in most fungi. The measurement of BDG is a useful diagnostic marker for invasive fungal infections. However, it is well known that interfering substances can result in false positive reactions. We encountered a patient who underwent lung transplantation and presented with highly elevated BDG values, despite having no evidence of invasive fungal infection. We therefore hypothesized that elevated BDG values were originated from the gauze products used during surgery. While it is known that gauze products contain BDG, there have been no previous reports to quantitatively correlate amount of gauze usage and BDG levels. In this study, we extracted BDG from various gauze products and measured BDG to better understand the degree of which gauze contributes to elevated BDG values. Six types of commonly used surgical gauze products were selected for our study. Each of the surgical gauze was immersed in sterile, purified water for up to 120 minutes. At set intervals, BDG values in the water extracts were measured. Purified water samples without gauze were used as negative controls (< 4 pg/ml). After 120-minute extraction, BDG levels varied greatly depending on gauze products, ranging from 11.7 pg/ml to 6612 pg/ml. The gauze made of lyocell, which is a fiber produced from wood pulp cellulose, yielded the lowest levels of BDG, and probably would not cause false positive for fungal infections. There is a need for the development of a gauze product that does not contribute to elevated BDG values.
Kanamori
Hajime
H
Department of Infection Control and Laboratory Diagnostics, Internal Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Seiryo-machi, Sendai, Japan. kanamori@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp
Kanemitsu
Keiji
K
Miyasaka
Tomomitsu
T
Ameku
Koken
K
Endo
Shiro
S
Aoyagi
Tetsuji
T
Inden
Ken
K
Hatta
Masumitsu
M
Yamamoto
Natsuo
N
Kunishima
Hiroyuki
H
Yano
Hisakazu
H
Kaku
Koki
K
Hirakata
Yoichi
Y
Kaku
Mitsuo
M
D006801:Humans; D009779:Occlusive Dressings; D013997:Time Factors; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000032:analysis*
D047071:beta-Glucans