title: Clinical utility and development of biomarkers in invasive aspergillosis.
abstract: The diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis remains very difficult, and there are limited treatment options for the disease. Pre-clinical models have been used to evaluate the diagnosis and treatment of Aspergillus infection and to assess the pathogenicity and virulence of the organism. Extensive efforts in Aspergillus research have significantly expanded the genomic information about this microorganism. The standardization of animal models of invasive aspergillosis can be used to enhance the evaluation of genomic information about the organism to improve the diagnosis and treatment of invasive aspergillosis. One approach to this process has been the award of a contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health to establish and standardize animal models of invasive aspergillosis for the development of new diagnostic technologies for both pulmonary and disseminated Aspergillus infection. This work utilizes molecular approaches for the genetic manipulation of Aspergillus strains that can be tested in animal-model systems to establish new diagnostic targets and tools. Studies have evaluated the performance characteristics of assays for cell-wall antigens of Aspergillus including galactomannan and beta-D-glucan, as well as for DNA targets in the organism, through PCR. New targets, such as proteomic and genomic approaches, and novel detection methods, such as point-of-care lateral-flow devices, have also been evaluated. The goal of this paper is to provide a framework for evaluating genomic targets in animal models to improve the diagnosis and treatment of invasive aspergillosis toward ultimately improving the outcomes for patients with this frequently fatal infection.
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Department of Medicine-Division of Infectious Diseases, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MSC 7881, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA. patterson@uthscsa.edu
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Patterson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000032:analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005690:Galactose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006801:Humans; D055744:Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D008351:Mannans / Q000032:analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D008351:Mannans; D037521:Virulence Factors; C012990:galactomannan; D005690:Galactose