Fungal PCR increases diagnosis of pneumonia in immunocompromised children

What is it about?

Pneumonia caused by fungi is a life threatening infection in Immunocompromised children. Diagnosing the pathogen is very important, in order to choose the right treatment, and this can be done by performing a Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). In this study we compared the results of fungal cultures to fungal PCR from BAL and found that PCR increased the diagnosis of fungal infections by threefold.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Fungal PCR results improved the diagnosis of fungal pneumonia in imunocompromised children, especially for Aspergillus and Pneumocystis. It guided the initiation of appropriate anti-fungal treatment when positive and spared patients prolonged anti-fungal treatment when negative.