title: β-d-Glucan kinetics for the assessment of treatment response in Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia.
abstract: Serum (1→3)-β-D-Glucan (BG) is a biomarker for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP). However, information concerning its usefulness for monitoring the clinical course is lacking. We conducted a retrospective study to investigate whether consecutive BG-measurements can be used to assess treatment response in PJP. Analysis of sera from 18 patients during PJP therapy shows that decreasing BG-levels strongly correlate with a favourable clinical course. In contrast, increasing BG-levels were associated with treatment failure or fatal outcome is only 44% of patients. As a consequence, BG-kinetics might be used to confirm treatment success but seem to be of limited value for the identification of treatment failure.
authors: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. juergen.held@uniklinik-freiburg.de
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Held
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Wagner
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D045363:Pneumocystis carinii / Q000737:chemistry*; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011509:Proteoglycans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011509:Proteoglycans; D047071:beta-Glucans; C010770:polysaccharide-K