Description
Invasive fungal diseases are a significant worldwide health problem, and their prevalence is increasing. These opportunistic infections affect immunocompromised patients, those undergoing intensive-care treatment and people with chronic disorders, in particular lung diseases. Invasive fungal diseases are important causes of morbidity and mortality and difficult to diagnose. Members of the two genera Aspergillus1, Candida2 and the species Pneumocystis jirovecii3 cause the majority of these infections by far. The early recognition and diagnosis of mycoses is of outstanding importance for improving patient outcomes. However, traditional diagnostic tools such as pathologic histological and fungal cultures lack the sensitivity and capacity needed for early diagnoses.
In most pathogenic fungi, (1→3)-β-D-glucan is an integral component of the cell wall (Fig. 1). Small quantities are released into the blood during infection. The Limulus reagent (LAL: Limulus amebocyte lysate), made from the extract of blood cells of horseshoe crabs, has drawn attention as an in vitro diagnostic reagent for mycosis. It reacts with (1→3)-β-D-glucan as well as with endotoxin. The β-Glucan Test exclusively measures the (1→3)-β-D-glucan concentration in serum or plasma through a kinetic turbidimetric assay.
