Table 5.
Diagnostic modalities of intracranial fungal infections in Africa
| Diagnostic modality | Number (percentage, %) | Lower limit 95% CI (%) | Upper limit 95% CI (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| For diffuse fungal infections (N= 6830) | |||
| CSF culture | 4390 (64.3) | 63.1 | 65.4 |
| CSF cryptococcal antigen | 4,328 (63.4) | 62.2 | 64.5 |
| CSF India ink stain | 2,063 (30.2) | 29.1 | 31.3 |
| Peripheral blood culture | 80 (1.2) | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| Serum cryptococcal antigen | 228 (3.3) | 2.9 | 3.8 |
| Gram stain | 212 (3.1) | 2.7 | 3.5 |
| CSF immunodiffusion | 136 (2.0) | 1.7 | 2.4 |
| CT imaging | 17 (0.2) | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| CSF acid-fast stain | 62 (0.9) | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| CSF opening pressure | 50 (0.7) | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| CSF polymerase chain reaction | 44 (0.6) | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| MRI imaging | 17 (0.2) | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Brain biopsy | 11 (0.2 ) | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Unspecified | 457 (6.7) | 6.1 | 7.3 |
| For localised fungal infections (N = 30) | |||
| MRI imaging | 12 (40.0) | 22.7 | 59.4 |
| Brain biopsy | 9 (30.0) | 14.7 | 49.4 |
| CT imaging | 9 (30.0) | 14.7 | 49.4 |
| CSF culture | 5 (16.7) | 5.6 | 34.7 |
| CSF cryptococcal antigen | 4 (13.3) | 3.8 | 30.1 |
| CSF India ink stain | 3 (10.0) | 2.1 | 26.5 |
| Pus culture | 2 (6.7) | 0.8 | 22.1 |
| CSF immunodiffusion | 1 (0.3) | 0.1 | 17.2 |
| Peripheral blood culture | 1 (0.3) | 0.1 | 17.2 |
| Unspecified | 10 (33.3) | 17.3 | 52.8 |
CT Computed tomography, MRI Magnetic resonance imaging, CSF Cerebrospinal fluid