Assessment of the significance of respiratory culture of Aspergillus in the non-neutropenic patient. A critique of published diagnostic criteria

• Published in: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases 2013-07, Vol.32 (7), p.923-928
• Main Authors: Barton, R. C., Hobson, R. P., McLoughlin, H., Morris, A., Datta, B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aspergillus; Aspergillus - isolation & purification; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid - microbiology; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Diagnostic Errors; Female; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Hematology; Human mycoses; Humans; Infectious diseases; Internal Medicine; Lavage; Male; Medical Microbiology; Medical sciences; Medicine; Microbiological Techniques - methods; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous mycoses; Mycoses; Neutropenia; Other diseases. Hematologic involvement in other diseases; Patients; Pulmonary Aspergillosis - diagnosis; Respiratory System - microbiology; Sputum - microbiology; Steroids; Teaching hospitals; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0934-9723; 1435-4373
• DOI: 10.1007/s10096-013-1827-7

Assessment of the significance of isolation of Aspergillus sp. from respiratory culture in patients who are not neutropenic is a continuing problem in respiratory medicine. In recent years a number of criteria for defining patients with invasive or chronic pulmonary aspergillosis in this group have been proposed. This study sought to assess the value of three sets of these criteria in distinguishing between colonisation and aspergillosis requiring therapy when applied retrospectively to 121 patients with positive sputum or BAL culture for Aspergillus sp. Two patients (1.6 %) were identified as having proven or probable aspergillosis by the EORTC criteria, two different patients fulfilled the criteria for invasive aspergillosis in the 62 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (3.2 %), and yet another two different patients met the criteria for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (1.6 %). It is suggested that difficulties in the application of some of these criteria may prevent the accurate diagnosis of aspergillosis in the non-neutropenic patient setting.