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Invasive aspergillosis in hematology malignancies – a disease difficult to diagnose
Alina Tănase, Anca Coliţă, Daniel Coriu, Carmen Orban, Ligia Barbarii, Adrian Streinu-Cercel
Abstract: Invasive fungal infections are a major threat to immunocompromised patients, particularly those with hematological malignancies and hematopoietic stem-cell transplant. Invasive aspergillosis (IA) represents the main cause of infections after hematopoietic stem cell transplant, with a high mortality rate among these patients. Clinical signs and symptoms of IA are non-specific. The traditional laboratory techniques have low sensitivity and late results, and thus a limited role in the diagnosis of IA. Therefore, improving the specific diagnosis of IA has become a common medical concern. Indirect mycological tests (detecting fungal antigens in serum) are useful instruments for early diagnosis of IA and they were widely studied. Galactomanan antigen (GM) Assay, which is the most standardized parameter, was implemented in Fundeni Clinical Institute starting Jan. 2011, as a routine test. First preliminary data suggest that, due to this test, an increased number of invasive aspergillosis was diagnosed in high risk patients.
Keywords: invasive aspergillosis,hematological malignancies,allogenic stem cell transplant,galactomanan
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Tănase A, Coliţă A, Coriu D, Orban C, Barbarii L, Streinu-Cercel A. Invasive aspergillosis in hematology malignancies – a disease difficult to diagnose. Rev Romana Med Lab. 2012;20(1):7-14
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