Rapid diagnostic methods for aspergillosis.

Conventional laboratory methods are always unsatisfactory for the antemortem diagnosis of systemic mycoses, especially aspergillosis, in immunocompromised patients and those with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), regardless of their age. There is increasing proof that aspergillosis is not limited to pulmonary, sinus or nasal regions. These facts, plus the high mortality rate, indicate a tremendous need for reliable and rapid methods of diagnosing this infection. Accordingly, refined techniques such as solid-phase radioimmunoassay (SPIRA), crossed-immunoelectrophoresis (CIE), crossed-radioimmunoelectrophoresis (CRIE), radioallergosorbent test (RAST), radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA), paper radioimmunosorbent test (PRIST), computerized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), biotin avidin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) are being considered or used in clinical laboratories for diagnosing aspergillosis. The advantages and limitations of the RIA, ELISA and GLC methods are briefly discussed.