Bronchoalveolar-Lavage Galactomannan Levels in Invasive Fungal Disease Are Diagnostically Disappointing

Although most immunocompromised patients with hematologic malignancies never develop invasive fungal diseases (IFD), the results can be devastating for those who do. The current diagnostic standard for IFD requires either tissue examination or culture. However, less-invasive measures have recently been advocated, including measurement of galactomannan (GM), a component of the cell wall of Aspergillus species, from a bronchoalveolar-lavage (BAL) specimen.

To investigate the diagnostic performance of BAL GM for IFD, researchers conducted a prospective, observational cohort study involving all immunocompromised hematologic patients who underwent diagnostic bronchoscopy at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, because of symptoms or signs …