The 1,3-β-d-glucan in critical adult patients as diagnostic tool for invasive Candida spp. infection, performance evaluation]

Background: Invasive fungal infections are important causes of morbimortality in critical patients. Most of these infections are caused by Candida spp. which diagnosis has important limitations. Aim: Initial evaluation of the utility of 1,3-beta-D-glucan (BDG) as a diagnostic tool for invasive candida infections in critical patients. Patients and Methods: Adult patients over 18 years old, hospitalized in intensive care units for more than five days, with fever > 38 degrees C of unclear origin and two or more risk factors for invasive Candida spp. infection were included. Samples for BDG were obtained on two consecutive days. The results were compared with definitive diagnosis of candidemia/invasive candidiasis (C/IC) confirmed by cultures. Results: Median value of BDG in patients with C/IC was 224.3 +/- 213.7 pg/ml and in patients without C/IC was 63.8 +/- 76.7 pg/ml (p: 0.02). Sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of C/IC were 60 and 92%, respectively. Positive predictive value was 60% and negative predictive value was 92%. Conclusion: BDG could be considered as a complementary diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of C/IC in critical patients with risk factors.