Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Can Aspergillus fumigatus conidia cause false-positive results in the galactomannan enzyme immunoassay test?

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Several factors can cause false-positive results in the galactomannan (GM) test; however, others remain unknown. Presently, the impact of airborne contamination by Aspergillus conidia during enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) remains uninvestigated.

METHODS:

We studied 12 A. fumigatus isolates. Fungal conidia were serially diluted and tested for GM detection using the Platelia® Aspergillus enzyme immunoassay (EIA).

RESULTS:

The conidia concentration required for an EIA-positive result was 4.8 × 103 (median).

CONCLUSIONS:

This is the first study to evaluate the impact of environmental contamination on the Platelia® Aspergillus EIA assay. Only massive contamination can interfere with GM optical readings, suggesting that environmental contamination does not cause false-positive test results.

Keywords:
Invasive aspergillosis; Diagnosis; Platelia® Aspergillus EIA; Galactomannan; Air quality

Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical - SBMT Caixa Postal 118, 38001-970 Uberaba MG Brazil, Tel.: +55 34 3318-5255 / +55 34 3318-5636/ +55 34 3318-5287, http://rsbmt.org.br/ - Uberaba - MG - Brazil
E-mail: rsbmt@uftm.edu.br