Evaluation of a new mutiplex qPCR-based assay for detection of clinically relevant Aspergillus species

Abstract

Background: Recently, the AspID®(OLM Diagnostics, Newcastle, UK) has been introduced. This assay is based on multiplex real-time PCR (qPCR) for detection of clinically relevant Aspergillus spp. Objectives: The analytical performance of the AspID® was evaluated by using reference material, the diagnostic performance by testing bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) specimens from patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and those with no evidence for IPA. Materials and Methods: The analytical performance of the AspID® was evaluated utilizing the Quality Control for Molecular Diagnostics (QCMD) 2016 Aspergillus spp. DNA External Quality Assurance Program which consisted of 9 sample members. The clinical performance of the AspID® was evaluated with 36 BAL specimens obtained from 18 patients with IPA and 18 with no evidence for IPA. Patients were classified as having IPA if the BALF galactomannan (GM) concentration yielded an optical density index (ODI) >3.0 and patients had clinical and radiological findings compatible with IPA. Those without IPA had a BALF GM ODI

Date of Award	2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Medical University Graz
Supervisor	Harald Kessler (Supervisor)