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. 2014 Dec 18;53(1):319–322. doi: 10.1128/JCM.02301-14

TABLE 1.

Levels of BDG in paired serum and CSF samples of patients with or without CNS fungal infection

Disease category No. of patients or case no. BDG in paired serum and CSF samples
 No. of patients with:
Level in serum (pg/ml)a Level in CSF (pg/ml)a P valueb Serum/CSF BDG ratioa Pleocytosis HIV
Nonfungal infection
    Multiple sclerosis 9 20 (10–35) 9 (4–28) 0.02 2.22 (0.77–6.2) 6 0
    Primary headaches 10 27.5 (12–64) 15.5 (<4–27) <0.02 2.85 (0.86–5.63) 0 4
    Pseudotumor cerebri 5 28 (18–58) 17 (13–43) 0.31 1.54 (0.65–2.9) 0 0
    Other CNS abnormalities 24 28 (11–1334) 14 (<4–109) 0.10 2.36 (0.30–45.3) 0 4
    Bacterial/viral CNS infection 18 25.5 (7–397) 13 (<4–71) 0.07 2.38 (0.31–14.3) 18 10
    Subtotal 66 26.5 (7–1344) 13.5 (<4–109) <0.001 2.24 (0.30–45.3)
Non-CNS fungal infections
    Proven invasive candidiasis No. 1 1,051 27 38.9 0 1
    Probable invasive aspergillosis No. 2 894 40 22.4 0 1
    Proven fungal sinusitis/mastoiditisd No. 3 201 57 3.5 0 0
    Possible fungal sinusitise No. 4 11 685 0.02 0 0
    Probable disseminated coccidioidomycosis No. 5 14 139 0.10 0 1
    Probable Pneumocystis pneumonia No. 6 1179 158 7.5 1 1
    Probable fungal pneumonia No. 7 2,100 34 61.8 0 1
    Probable invasive candidiasis No. 8 260 64 4.1 0 0
    Probable invasive candidiasis No. 9 229 5 45.8 0 0
    Probable invasive candidiasis No. 10 685 7 97.9 0 0
    Subtotal 10 472.5 (11–2,100) 48.5 (5–685) 0.03 14.9 (0.02–97.9)
CNS fungal infections
    Cryptococcus meningitis No. 1 (<1:5c) 30 <4 1 1
No. 2 (1:160c) 16 37 0.43 1 1
No. 3 (<1:5c) 27 21 1.29 1 0
No. 4 (1:80c) 91 53 1.72 1 0
No. 5 (1:40c) 34 32 1.06 1 0
No. 6 (1:10c) 15 33 0.45 1 1
    Probable cerebral histoplasmosisf No. 7 14 110 0.13 1 1
    Proven Exserohilum meningitis (outbreak patient) No. 8 32 797 0.04 0 0
    Probable Exserohilum meningitis (outbreak patient) No. 9 33 1,524 0.02 1 0
Total 85 33 27
a

Median (range) for group data or value for individual data.

b

P value was determined by Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

c

CSF cryptococcal antigen titer determined by a lateral flow assay (IMMY, Oklahoma, USA). All six patients (case no. 1 to 6) had positive serum cryptococcal antigen results by the lateral flow assay.

d

This fungal sinusitis case was proven based on histology examination. The right mastoid excision tissue from the patient showed fungal hypha forms. However, culture was negative.

e

This patient had chronic sinusitis refractory to multiple courses of antibiotics empirically and was diagnosed clinically as having possible fungal sinusitis.

f

This patient tested positive for Histoplasma antigen in CSF.