Laboratory Diagnostics of Aspergillosis: Present State and Future Directions
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Culture-Based Methods and Antifungal Susceptibility Testing
2.1. Culture-Based Methods
2.1.1. Diagnostic Yield and Interpretation
2.1.2. Importance of Species-Level Identification
Role of Classical Morphological Identification
3. Antifungal Susceptibility Testing
4. Antigen Testing: Galactomannan and Novel Biomarkers
4.1. Galactomannan
4.1.1. Diagnostic Performance
4.1.2. Matrix Considerations
4.1.3. Factors Influencing Test Performance
- Antifungal exposure—mould-active agents such as voriconazole or posaconazole may suppress antigen release, resulting in false-negative results.
- Cross-reactivity—other moulds (e.g., Fusarium, Penicillium) and certain β-lactam antibiotics may cause false-positive results, although improved assay specificity has reduced this issue.
- Renal replacement therapies—haemodialysis and plasma exchange may alter circulating antigen levels and complicate interpretation.
- Exogenous polysaccharide-containing products—false-positive GM results may occur after exposure to non-fungal sources of galactomannan or structurally related polysaccharides. Reported causes include glucose-containing intravenous fluids, administration of intravenous immunoglobulins, and plant-derived haemostatic materials used during surgery.
4.1.4. Clinical Utility and Monitoring
4.2. β-D-Glucan
4.3. Lateral Flow and Point-of-Care Antigen Assays
4.4. Emerging Antigenic Biomarkers
4.5. Non-Standard Specimen Types
4.6. Antigen Testing in Allergic Aspergillosis
4.7. Practical Considerations
5. Molecular Diagnostics: Real-Time PCR, Resistance Detection, and Next-Generation Sequencing
5.1. Real-Time PCR
5.2. Molecular Detection of Resistance
5.3. Next-Generation Sequencing
- High cost and limited availability.
- Bioinformatic complexity, requiring specialised expertise.
- Longer turnaround times compared with targeted molecular assays.
- Lack of standardised diagnostic thresholds, complicating interpretation.
- Potential detection of environmental or colonising organisms, which may not represent true invasive disease.
5.4. Emerging Molecular and Host-Based Approaches
- Digital PCR offers improved quantification and sensitivity compared with conventional real-time PCR, potentially enabling more precise fungal load monitoring.
- Targeted amplicon sequencing may allow simultaneous species identification and resistance profiling within a single workflow.
- Host response biomarkers, including transcriptomic and cytokine signatures, are being explored as adjunctive tools for distinguishing colonisation from invasive disease. Integration of host and pathogen data may represent a future direction for improving diagnostic specificity.
6. Combination Strategies
6.1. Combined Biomarker Approaches
6.2. Impact on Antifungal Stewardship
6.3. Integration with Radiology and Clinical Risk Stratification
6.4. Combination Strategies in Allergic Aspergillosis
6.5. Personalised and Combined Diagnostic Approaches in Aspergillosis
7. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
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| Kit | Manufacturer | Method | Targets | Sample Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspergillus GM Rapid Test | Abbexa, Cambridge, UK | Lateral flow | Galactomannan | Serum, plasma, whole blood | RUO |
| Aspergillus GM Lateral Flow Assay (LFA) | Immy, Norman, OK, USA | Lateral flow | Galactomannan | BALF, serum | IVD |
| Aspergillus Lateral Flow Device (LFD) | OLM Diagnostics, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK | Lateral flow | Aspergillus antigen (JF5 epitope) | BALF, serum | IVD |
| Fungitell® Assay | Associates of Cape Cod, East Falmouth, MA, USA | Colorimetric (LAL-based) | (1→3)-β-D-glucan | Serum | IVD |
| FungiXpert® (1→3)-β-D-glucan | Genobio, Tianjin, China | CLIA | (1→3)-β-D-glucan | Serum, BALF | IVD |
| FungiXpert® Aspergillus GM ELISA | Genobio, Tianjin, China | ELISA | Galactomannan | Serum, BALF | IVD |
| FungiXpert® Aspergillus IgG CLIA | Genobio, Tianjin, China | CLIA | Aspergillus-specific IgG | Serum | IVD |
| ImmunoCAP Aspergillus IgG/IgE | Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA | FEIA | Aspergillus-specific IgG/IgE | Serum | IVD |
| Platelia™ Aspergillus EIA | Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA | ELISA | Galactomannan | Serum, BALF | IVD |
| QuicGM™ Aspergillus LFA | Dynamiker, Tianjin, China | Fluorescent LFA | Galactomannan | Serum, BALF | IVD |
| VirClia® Aspergillus GM Monotest | Vircell, Granada, Spain | CLIA | Galactomannan | Serum | IVD |
| Kit | Manufacturer | Targets | Sample Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AsperGenius® | PathoNostics, Maastricht, The Netherlands | Aspergillus spp., A. fumigatus, A. flavus * | BALF, serum, plasma, CSF (not validated) | IVD |
| AspID® Aspergillus qPCR | LionDx, Venice, Italy | Aspergillus spp., A. terreus | BALF, serum, plasma | IVD |
| Fungiplex® Aspergillus | Bruker, Billerica, MA, USA | A. fumigatus, flavus, niger, terreus * | BALF, serum, plasma | IVD |
| gb MICRO Aspergillus | Generi Biotech, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic | A. fumigatus, flavus, niger, terreus | Not specified | IVD |
| GeneProof® Aspergillus PCR Kit | GeneProof, Brno, Czech Republic | Aspergillus spp. | Serum, BALF | IVD |
| iQ-Check Aspergillus | Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA | A. fumigatus, flavus, niger, terreus | Non-clinical samples (e.g., cannabis products) | RUO |
| MycoGENIE® | Ademtech, Pessac, France | Aspergillus spp. ± Mucorales * | Serum, lower respiratory tract samples, tissue biopsies | IVD |
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Tomazin, R.; Matos, T. Laboratory Diagnostics of Aspergillosis: Present State and Future Directions. J. Fungi 2026, 12, 379. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12050379
Tomazin R, Matos T. Laboratory Diagnostics of Aspergillosis: Present State and Future Directions. Journal of Fungi. 2026; 12(5):379. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12050379
Chicago/Turabian StyleTomazin, Rok, and Tadeja Matos. 2026. "Laboratory Diagnostics of Aspergillosis: Present State and Future Directions" Journal of Fungi 12, no. 5: 379. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12050379
APA StyleTomazin, R., & Matos, T. (2026). Laboratory Diagnostics of Aspergillosis: Present State and Future Directions. Journal of Fungi, 12(5), 379. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12050379

