ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic value of monitoring 1,3-beta-D-glucan (G test) in patients with autoimmune disease complicated with invasive fungal disease (IFD). MethodsA retrospective study was performed in hospitalized patients in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou Universisty who were diagnosed as autoimmune disease with lung infection during the immunosuppressive therapy between January 2014 and January 2016. A total of 372 patients were enrolled in this study. All subjects were classified according to the 2006 diagnostic criteria and treatment of invasive pulmonaary fungal infection, with serum 1,3-β-D-glucan results not included in the diagnosis. There were 18 cases with proven IFD, 35 cases with probable IFD, and 70 ceses with possible IFD. Fifty-three patients with proven IFD or probable IFD were as a case group, and another 249 patients with no evidence for IFD were as a control group. The value of the G test for diagnosis of automimmune disease with IFD was analyzed by ROC curve. ResultsThe serum 1,3-β-D-glucan level was significantly higher in the case group when compared with the control group [median (interquartile range): 135.0 (63.1 to 319.0) pg/ml vs. 75.9 (41.2 to 88.1) pg/ml, P<0.05]. When the cut-off value of serum 1,3-β-D-glucan level was set at 93.8 pg/ml, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for diagnosis of autoimmune disease with IFD were 0.65 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.73), 0.87 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.92), 0.70 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.81), and 0.83 (95% CI 0.79 to 0.88), respectively. ConclusionThe 1,3-beta-D-glucan test is a valuable method for diagnosis of IFD in patients with autoimmune disease.
ObjectiveTo explore the diagnostic value of endobronchial ultrasonography with a guide sheath (EBUS-GS) for pulmonary fungal disease.MethodsAll patients were collected from January 2015 to December 2018. They were diagnosed with pulmonary fungal disease by tissue biopsy, body fluid or blood test, and without other diseases such as pneumonia, lung cancer, lung abscess, tuberculosis, or organizing pneumonia, etc. After clinical anti-fungal treatment, clinical symptoms were relieved, chest CT lesions were absorbed, laboratory-related checks were turned negative in these patients. All patients underwent bronchoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid/brush examination, and blood galactomannan antigen test/latex agglutination test. They were divided into an EBUS-GS group and a non-EBUS-GS group according to whether EBUS-GS check was performed. Non-parametric test was used to analyze the diagnostic value of EBUS-GS in pulmonary fungal diseases.ResultsFifty-one patients were included and 20 patients in the EBUS-GS group and 31 patients in the non-EBUS-GS group. The EBUS-GS group had a higher positive rate of pulmonary fungal disease. The diagnostic rates of the EBUS-GS group and the non-EBUS-GS group were statistically different (90.0% vs. 48.4%, P<0.05).ConclusionEBUS-GS can improve the diagnosis rate of pulmonary fungal disease and provides further evidence for a clear diagnosis.
Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungus that has become a significant global public health threat due to its strong resistance to antifungal agents and its ability to spread within healthcare facilities. This paper reviews the global epidemiological trends of Candida auris and the current status of existing prevention and control systems, focusing specifically on pathogen epidemiological characteristics, domestic and international epidemic situations, current prevention and control frameworks, and the construction of prevention networks. In response to the challenges posed by the international spread of Candida auris , China’s fungal disease prevention system should advance towards a more systematic and scientific direction. By integrating resources from medical institutions, disease control agencies, and research institutes, and combining multidisciplinary knowledge and technologies, China should establish a multi-level coordinated prevention and control mechanism to improve its monitoring, prevention, and treatment systems. In the future, China’s fungal disease prevention and control system needs to further strengthen talent cultivation, improve surveillance networks, promote technological innovation, and build a comprehensive, multi-level modern prevention and control system.