{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T23:31:17Z","timestamp":1792020677413,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,22]],"date-time":"2021-03-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1616371200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JoF"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Data on biomarker-assisted diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in pediatric patients is scarce. Therefore, we conducted a cohort study over two years including 404 serum specimens of 26 pediatric patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). Sera were tested prospectively twice weekly for Aspergillus-specific DNA, galactomannan (GM), and retrospectively for (1\u21923)-\u03b2-D-glucan (BDG). Three probable IA and two possible invasive fungal disease (IFD) cases were identified using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and the Mycoses Study Group (EORTC\/MSGERC) 2019 consensus definitions. Sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of probable IA and possible IFD was 80% (95% confidential interval (CI): 28\u201399%) and 55% (95% CI: 32\u201377%) for BDG, 40% (95% CI: 5\u201385%) and 100% (95% CI: 83\u2013100%) for GM, and 60% (95% CI: 15\u201395%) and 95% (95% CI: 75\u2013100%) for Aspergillus-specific real-time PCR. However, sensitivities have to be interpreted with great caution due to the limited number of IA cases. Interestingly, the low specificity of BDG was largely caused by false-positive BDG results that clustered around the date of alloSCT. The following strategies were able to increase BDG specificity: two consecutive positive BDG tests for diagnosis (specificity 80% (95% CI: 56\u201394%)); using an optimized cutoff value of 306 pg\/mL (specificity 90% (95% CI: 68\u201399%)) and testing BDG only after the acute posttransplant phase. In summary, BDG can help to diagnose IA in pediatric alloSCT recipients. However, due to the poor specificity either an increased cutoff value should be utilized or BDG results should be confirmed by an alternative Aspergillus assay.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jof7030238","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,22]],"date-time":"2021-03-22T11:13:26Z","timestamp":1616411606000},"page":"238","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Diagnostic Performance of (1\u21923)-\u03b2-D-Glucan Alone and in Combination with Aspergillus PCR and Galactomannan in Serum of Pediatric Patients after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Jan","family":"Springer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department for Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of W\u00fcrzburg, 97080 W\u00fcrzburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"J\u00fcrgen","family":"Held","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mikrobiologisches Institut\u2014Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Erlangen und Friedrich-Alexander-Universit\u00e4t (FAU) Erlangen-N\u00fcrnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlo","family":"Mengoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Histology, Microbiology, and Medical Biotechnology, University of Padua, 35122 Padua, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paul Gerhardt","family":"Schlegel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kinderklinik und Poliklinik, University Medical Center W\u00fcrzburg, 97080 W\u00fcrzburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Florian","family":"Gamon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department for Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of W\u00fcrzburg, 97080 W\u00fcrzburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Johannes","family":"Tr\u00e4ger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mikrobiologisches Institut\u2014Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universit\u00e4tsklinikum Erlangen und Friedrich-Alexander-Universit\u00e4t (FAU) Erlangen-N\u00fcrnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Oliver","family":"Kurzai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Reference Center for Invasive Fungal Infections (NRZMyk), Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Kn\u00f6ll Institute, 07745 Jena, Germany"},{"name":"Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, University W\u00fcrzburg, 97080 W\u00fcrzburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7680-0819","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hermann","family":"Einsele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department for Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of W\u00fcrzburg, 97080 W\u00fcrzburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juergen","family":"Loeffler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department for Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of W\u00fcrzburg, 97080 W\u00fcrzburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8099-5903","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matthias","family":"Eyrich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kinderklinik und Poliklinik, University Medical Center W\u00fcrzburg, 97080 W\u00fcrzburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"755","DOI":"10.1007\/s10096-007-0373-6","article-title":"Current status of fungal cell wall components in the immunodiagnostics of invasive fungal infections in humans: Galactomannan, mannan and (1\u21923)-beta-D-glucan antigens","volume":"26","author":"Kedzierska","year":"2007","journal-title":"Eur. 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