Aspergillosis: Sensitivity and Specificity

Introduction: Invasive infection by the Aspergillus fungus, typically in neutropenic patients.

Differential Diagnoses include: Lymphoma

The sensitivity and specificity of findings for Aspergillosis are listed below. See the left navigation bar to change the display.

Specific Findings

Finding	Sensitivity	Specificity	Comments, Study
Chest CT Duplicate	44%	98%	For findings of 'halo sign' or 'air crescent' sign. Another study gave sensitivity for halo sign at 61%. Study: Haematologica. 2000 Jul;85(7):745-52. PMID: 10897127 Clin Infect Dis. 2007 Feb 1;44(3):373-9. PMID: 17205443
Latex Agglutination	44%	93%	Study: Haematologica. 2000 Jul;85(7):745-52. PMID: 10897127
Serum galactomannan assay	71%	89%	the sensitivity ranged from 61 to 71 percent with a specificity of 89 to 93 percent Study: Diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis using a galactomannan assay: a meta-analysis. Pfeiffer CD; Fine JP; Safdar N Clin Infect Dis. 2006 May 15;42(10):1417-727. Epub 2006 Apr 14. PMID 16619154
Serum Beta-D-glucan	76.8%	85.3%	Component of the fungal cell wall. This study evaluated dx of invasive fungal infections, not specifically Aspergillus. The test is nonspecific and includes all fungi, including PCP (which was excluded from this study). Study: PMID 21367728

Sensitive Findings

94%

65%

finding: pulmonary nodules

(sensitivity and specificity from different studies)

Differential Diagnosis: Lymphoma

Study: Mycoses. 2002 Oct;45(8):287-94. PMID: 12572717

Haematologica. 2000 Jul;85(7):745-52. PMID: 10897127

Clin Infect Dis. 2007 Feb 1;44(3):373-9. PMID: 17205443