Test Directory

Patients diagnosed with chronic granulomatous disease and/or Job's syndrome may yield a reduced detection of galactomannan. Reduced assay sensitivity may occur in patients receiving concomitant antifungal therapy. Penicillium species, Alternaria species, Paecilomyces species, Geotrichum species, and Histoplasma species have demonstrated reactivity with the monoclonal antibodies used in the assay and may, therefore, yield a positive test result. Positive results in patients with no clinical signs of disease have been reported, especially in young children. Most of these are considered to be false positives. Young children may have a positive assay result due to the presence of galactofuranaase contained in various foods (cereals) and milk. Patients receiving piperacillin/tazobactam or semisynthetic beta-lactamase therapy may have false-positive results. False-positive results may also occur with use of PLASMA-LYTE™ for either intravenous hydration or BAL specimen collection.

Specimen Type: Serum

Alternate Specimen Type: bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)

Collection Container: Gold Top, Serum Separator 

Alternate Collection Container: Leakproof sterile container with screw cap

Desired Specimen Volume: 2 mL

Alternate Specimen Volume: 2 mL

For Serum:

1. Collect gold top, serum separator tube using aseptic technique via venipuncture.

For BAL:

1. Collect specimen in a sterile screw-cap, leakproof container.

For Serum and BAL:

1. Transport specimen in the original collection container. Do not aliquot.
2. Pour-off specimens and specimens sent in non-sterile containers will be rejected due to the risk of false positive results.
3. Avoid opening the specimen after collection to prevent contamination with fungal spores and/or bacteria present in the environment.
4. If an aliquoting step cannot be avoided, aliquot within a well-maintained biosafety cabinet using sterile technique.

Usual aseptic technique

Transport to the laboratory frozen.

• Unlabeled specimen or name discrepancy between specimen and test request form
• Blood collected in collection tubes other than those specified
• Grossly hemolyzed, lipemic, or icteric blood specimens
• Respiratory specimens other than BAL
• Inadequate specimen volume,
• BAL received in container without screw cap lid (for example trap container)
• Leaking BAL specimens
• Specimen received after the specified time or improperly stored/transported
• Specimen source other than BAL or serum
• Specimen received in non-sterile containers

A negative result does not exclude the possibility of invasive aspergillosis. Patients at risk for invasive aspergillosis should be tested twice weekly. Results close to the cutoff (ie, index of 0.5) should be interpreted with caution and supported by clinical, radiological, or laboratory culture results. BAL samples with an index value between 0.5 and 1.0 have a lower predictive value than those with a value >1.0.

• Aspergillus Galactomannan Antigen Detection, Bronchoalveolar Lavage or Serum