D-arabinitol--a marker for invasive candidiasis
Author
Summary, in English
The five-carbon sugar alcohol D-arabinitol (DA) is a metabolite of most pathogenic Candida species, in vitro as well as in vivo, and can be determined by gas chromatography or enzymatic analysis. Endogenous DA and L-arabinitol (LA) are present in human body fluids, and serum DA and LA increase in renal dysfunction. In prospective clinical studies, elevated DA/LA or DA/creatine ratios in serum or urine have been found in immunocompromised, usually neutropenic, patients with invasive candidiasis. In addition, positive DA results have been obtained several days to weeks before positive blood cultures, and the normalization of DA levels has been correlated with therapeutic response in both humans and animals. However, to date, only a few prospective studies have been conducted in which adequate analytical methods were used. Thus, further investigation of various patient groups is needed to establish the applicability of the 'arabinitol method' in the diagnostic battery for invasive Candida infections.
Publishing year
1999
Language
English
Pages
391-396
Publication/Series
Medical Mycology
Volume
37
Issue
6
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Topic
- Microbiology in the medical area
- Infectious Medicine
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1460-2709