Value of a single galactomannan determination (Platelia) for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in non-hematological patients with clinical isolation of Aspergillus spp.

We studied 75 patients with non-hematological conditions from whom Aspergillus spp. were recovered from clinical specimens during the period March 2003 to August 2006. The patients were classified according to EORTC criteria and the presence of galactomannan (Platelia Aspergillus) in their sera was evaluated. Ten of these patients (13.3%) had proven or probable invasive aspergillosis, i.e., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in five (50%), HIV infection in one (10%), lymphoma in one (10%), liver transplant in one (10%), solid malignancies in one (10%), and corticosteroid treatment in one (10%). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for the detection of galactomannan, using cut-offs of > or =0.5 ng/ml and > or =1 ng/ml were 60%/50%, 89.23%/100%, 46.15%/100%, and 93.55%/92.86% (p=0.001 and p<0.001), respectively. The determination of galactomannan in the sera of non-neutropenic patients could prove to be a useful microbiological finding when diagnosing invasive aspergillosis.