Serum Cross‐Reactivity withAspergillusGalactomannan and Cryptococcal Antigen during Fatal DisseminatedTrichosporon dermatisInfection

Serum cross-reactivity with Aspergillus galactomannan and cryptococcal antigen during fatal disseminated Trichosporon dermatis infection.

To the Editor—We thank Dr. Dylewski [1] for the feedback on our article [2]. It is understood that the usefulness of nucleic acid amplification (NAA) tests varies with the prevalence of the disease among the population being tested. In our article, we do not advocate NAA testing for all specimens submitted for culture. For patients whose specimens have negative acid–fast bacilli (AFB) smear res...

Serum cryptococcal antigen determination in the presence of rheumatoid factor.

Sera from nine patients with cryptococcal infections and from four with rheumatoid arthritis and positive rheumatoid factor were examined for the presence of cryptococcal capsular antigen by the latex agglutination method. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-heat treatment of the sera before testing possibly increased sensitivity as compared with the untreated sera, and the interfering rheumatoid f...

Immunoreactivity of cryptococcal antigen is not stable under prolonged incubations in human serum.

The stability of cryptococcal antigen from Cryptococcus neoformans serotype A and D strains at different temperatures in serum and other solvents was studied. Samples stored at -20 or 4 degrees C had equivalent stabilities as measured by the Premier Cryptococcal Antigen kit and the Cryptococcal Antigen Latex Agglutination System (CALAS) kit. However, using the Premier Cryptococcal Antigen kit, ...

Cryptococcal Antigen Detection in Serum: Significance as a Screening Modality for Indian PLHIV.

Inactivated pronase as the cause of false-positive results of serum cryptococcal antigen tests.

Four patients who had acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and who were evaluated for headache within a 3-week period had false-positive results of serum cryptococcal antigen tests. This cluster of false-positive test results appeared to be due to inactivation of the pronase vial in the test kit, a cause that has not been reported previously.