Aspergillus Polymerase Chain Reaction-An Update on Technical Recommendations, Clinical Applications, and Justification for Inclusion in the Second Revision of the EORTC/MSGERC Definitions of Invasive Fungal Disease

P Lewis White; Stephane Bretagne; Angela M Caliendo; Juergen Loeffler; Thomas F Patterson; Monica Slavin; John R Wingard

doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1865

Aspergillus Polymerase Chain Reaction-An Update on Technical Recommendations, Clinical Applications, and Justification for Inclusion in the Second Revision of the EORTC/MSGERC Definitions of Invasive Fungal Disease

Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Mar 12;72(Suppl 2):S95-S101. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1865.

Authors

P Lewis White¹, Stephane Bretagne², Angela M Caliendo³, Juergen Loeffler⁴, Thomas F Patterson⁵, Monica Slavin⁶, John R Wingard⁷

Affiliations

¹ Public Health Wales Mycology Reference Laboratory, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
² Mycology Laboratory, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris and Université de Paris, France.
³ Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
⁴ Department of Molecular Biology and Infection, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Medical Hospital II, Wuerzburg, Germany.
⁵ Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio and the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
⁶ National Centre for Infections in Cancer, Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
⁷ Department of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA.

PMID: 33709129
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1865

Abstract

Aspergillus polymerase chain reaction testing of blood and respiratory samples has recently been included in the second revision of the EORTC/MSGERC definitions for classifying invasive fungal disease. This is a result of considerable efforts to standardize methodology, the availability of commercial assays and external quality control programs, and additional clinical validation. This supporting article provides both clinical and technical justifications for its inclusion while also summarizing recent advances and likely future developments in the molecular diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis.

Keywords: Aspergillus PCR; EORTC/MSGERC definitions; clinical performance; technical aspects.

MeSH terms

Aspergillosis* / diagnosis
Aspergillus / genetics
DNA, Fungal / genetics
Humans
Invasive Fungal Infections* / diagnosis
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

DNA, Fungal