title: Diagnosing invasive fungal diseases - limitations of microbiological diagnostic methods.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Invasive fungal infections (IFD) are a principal cause of morbidity and mortality in immunosuppressed patients, with case fatality rates ranging from 30 - 80% in neutropenic patients. This results at least partly from difficulties in obtaining a reliable and early diagnosis. Conventional methods, for example culture-based methods, may be difficult and are often delayed. Serological tests such as the galactomannan enzyme immunoassay are at present most promising for diagnosing invasive aspergillosis; however, sensitivity and specificity vary within the studies. Similar data are shown for Aspergillus detection by polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this article is to review classical and new diagnostic tools for the identification of invasive fungal infections and to summarize current limitations of these methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The early diagnosis of IFD still remains a problem as existing tools lack sensitivity or specificity. Therefore, the combination of microscopy, culture-based methods, and serological and molecular techniques is necessary to allow early detection of IFD.
authors.affiliation: Innsbruck Medical University, Division of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Department of Hygiene, Microbiology and Social Medicine, Fritz Pregl Str. 3, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria +0043 512 9003 70725 ; +0043 512 9003 73700 ; cornelia.lass-floerl@i-med.ac.at.
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lass-Flörl
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mayr