PubMed:33087440 JSONTXT 14 Projects

COVID-19 associated invasive aspergillosis: data from the UK National Mycology Reference Laboratory. COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) was recently reported as a potential infective complication affecting critically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome following SARS-CoV-2 infection, with incidence rates varying from 8 to 33% depending on the study. However, definitive diagnosis of CAPA is challenging. Standardised diagnostic algorithms and definitions are lacking, clinicians are reticent to perform aerosol-generating bronchoalveolar lavages for galactomannan testing and microscopic and cultural examination, and questions surround the diagnostic sensitivity of different serum biomarkers. Between 11th March and 14th July 2020, the UK National Mycology Reference Laboratory received 1267 serum and respiratory samples from 719 critically ill UK patients with COVID-19 and suspected pulmonary aspergillosis. The laboratory also received 46 isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus from COVID-19 patients (including three that exhibited environmental triazole resistance). Diagnostic tests performed included 1000 (1-3)-β-d-glucan and 516 galactomannan tests on serum samples. The results of this extensive testing are presented here. For a subset of 61 patients, respiratory specimens (bronchoalveolar lavages, tracheal aspirates, sputum samples) in addition to serum samples were submitted and subjected to galactomannan testing, Aspergillus-specific PCR and microscopy and culture. The incidence of probable/proven and possible CAPA in this subset of patients was approximately 5% and 15%, respectively. Overall, our results highlight the challenges in biomarker-driven diagnosis of CAPA especially when only limited clinical samples are available for testing, and the importance of a multi-modal diagnostic approach involving regular and repeat testing of both serum and respiratory samples.