Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Invasive fungal disease (IFD) has gained recognition in recent years across the globe, as its prevalence and propensity for causing disease comes to light.These fungal pathogens predominantly affect immunocompromised patients and are associated with high morbidity and mortality.Diagnosis and treatment of IFD is plagued by long turnaround times, insensitive diagnostic tests and limited antifungal drugs; this limited arsenal grows smaller as antifungal resistance rates rise.This delay often leads to empirical, non-targeted treatment, further promoting antimicrobial resistance and contributing to suboptimal patient outcomes.The need for rapid, accurate diagnostic tests for common IFD-causing fungi is evident.To meet this urgent need, we developed and validated 10 novel quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays targeting 10 prevalent fungal pathogens affecting humans: Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Section Fumigati, Section Flavi, Nakaseomyces glabratus, Pichia kudriavzevii, Candida albicans, Candida dubliniensis, Candida parapsilosis and Candida tropicalis.All 10 qPCR assays demonstrate excellent specificity towards the chosen targets and good detection sensitivity and quantitation capacity.To enable high-throughput screening of fungal cultures, these assays have been validated in duplex format, allowing for two assay targets to be simultaneously tested in a singular tube.
Source: Microbiology Australia
DOI: 10.1071/ma24042
Author: Priscilla Johanesen
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4402013330