Last week I talked about invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in influenza and COVID patients. This is not the first time I have talked about this topic. I have mentioned how the halo sign is not terribly specific for IPA, especially in hematological patients and the testing characteristics of galactomannan. I have also spoken about the other
Tag: Pulmonary aspergillosis
Galactomannan is a component of the cell wall of both Aspergillus spp and Penicillium spp. This component is secreted during the growth phase of the fungus, and higher galactomannan levels are correlated with fungal load in tissues. This is the general structure of the galactomannan: The test of choice is a sandwich ELISA. The double-sandwich
The timely diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is incredibly important. Non-invasive modalities of diagnosis such as beta-D glucan and galactomannan can take a few days to come back and much of the time, we rely on chest imaging to guide treatment decision. The classic finding that has been attributed to invasive pulmonary aspergillosis has been
Dr. Germophile 