Serodiagnosis of Penicillium marneffei infection

Lancet. 1994 Aug 13;344(8920):444-5. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(94)91771-x.

Abstract

Diagnosis of Penicillium marneffei infection is often made late. We evaluated an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test for P marneffei in serum from 103 patients with persistent fever and from 78 normal subjects. Germinating conidia (initial tissue-invasion phase) and yeast-hyphae (tissue multiplication phase) forms were used as antigen. All 8 documented P marneffei cases (8%) had an IgG titre of 160 or more; the other 95 patients and all the healthy controls had an IgG titre of 40 or below. Blood culture was positive in only 1 case with HIV infection. Biopsy and culture of tissues were necessary for confirmation in the other 7 cases. The test could provide rapid presumptive diagnosis and supplement conventional culture.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Fungal / blood*
  • Biopsy
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cross Reactions
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique*
  • Humans
  • Mycoses / blood
  • Mycoses / diagnosis*
  • Mycoses / epidemiology
  • Penicillium / classification*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Serologic Tests

Substances

  • Antibodies, Fungal