Table 3.
Techniques used for diagnosis of fungal infections.
| Method | Organism | Comment | Publications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microscopy | Direct histology and cytology |
Candida spp.; Cryptococcus spp.; Aspergillus spp.; Mucorales |
Gold standard, demonstration of tissue invasion | [199,205] |
| Cultures | Mycological culture |
Cryptococcus spp. Candida spp.; Aspergillus spp.; Mucorales |
Slow turn-around time | [206,207,208,209,210] |
| Blood cultures |
Candida spp.; A. fumigatus, A. terreus; |
Gold standard for candidemia; | [211,212] | |
| Serological methods | 1,3-β-D-glucan (BDG) * |
Candida spp.; Aspergillus spp. |
Exceptions: Mucorales and Cryptococcus spp. | [195,197,199,205,213,214,215] |
| Galactomannan (GM) enzyme immunoassay * | Aspergillus spp. | [216] | ||
| Molecular approaches | PCR (18s rDNA, 28s rDNA, ITS, mtDNA |
Candida spp.; Cryptococcus spp.; Aspergillus spp.; Mucorales |
- | [217,218,219,220] |
| Imaging technologies | X-rays, CT and CTPA |
Aspergillus spp.; Mucorales |
- | [218,221] |
| MRI and PET scan |
Cryptococcus spp.; Aspergillus spp.; Mucorales |
- |
* Fungal cell wall component; PCR: polymerase chain reaction; ITS: internal transcribed spacer region; mtDNA: mitochondrial DNA; CT: computerised tomography; CTPA: CT pulmonary angiography; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; PET: positron emission tomography.