Utility of an in-house real-time PCR in whole blood samples as a minimally invasive method for early and accurate diagnosis of invasive mould infections.

Invasive mould infections (IMIs) are a leading cause of death in patients with compromised immune systems. Proven invasive mould infection requires detection of a fungus by histopathological analysis of a biopsied specimen, sterile culture, or fungal DNA amplification by PCR in tissue. However, the clinical performance of a PCR assay on blood samples taken from patients suspected of invasive mould disease has not been fully evaluated, particularly for the differential diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) and invasive Mucormycosis (IM).
Source: Journal of Infection - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research