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Advances in the serodiagnosis of blastomycosis

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Abstract

Blastomyces dermatitidis, the etiologic agent of blastomycosis, is endemic to certain areas of North America and other continents and can cause a variety of clinical manifestations that range from subclinical to life-threatening infections. Delineation of its ecology and epidemiology has been difficult because of the lack of rapid, sensitive, and specific noninvasive diagnostic tests. Despite efforts to develop such tests for clinical use, diagnosis of infection is still based on direct visualization of the organism in histopathologic or cytologic specimens and growth in the microbiologic laboratory. Serologic tests and skin testing have been hampered by low sensitivity and specificity caused by cross-reactivity with other endemic mycoses and are not commercially available. An antigen assay is now commercially available, but it also has significant cross-reactivity with other mycoses, especially histoplasmosis. The keys to diagnosis remain a high index of suspicion and knowledge of the disease’s varied clinical manifestations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, USA

    Keyur S. Vyas

  2. Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, 4301 W. Markham Street, Slot #639, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA

    Keyur S. Vyas

Authors
  1. Keyur S. Vyas
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  2. Jeremy Ryan Bariola
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  3. Robert W. Bradsher
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Correspondence to Keyur S. Vyas.

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Vyas, K.S., Bariola, J.R. & Bradsher, R.W. Advances in the serodiagnosis of blastomycosis. Curr Fungal Infect Rep 2, 227–231 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12281-008-0033-z

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