Dynamics of extracellular release of Aspergillus fumigatus DNAand galactomannan during growth in blood and serum

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Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatusis the major cause of invasive aspergillosis (IA),a disease associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality in patientsundergoing treatment for haematological malignancies. This study investigatedA. fumigatusgrowthin vitroand in a murine model of IA inorder to provide insights into the dynamics of extracellular DNA and galactomannan (GM)release and their relevance to early diagnosis of IA. Following inoculationof whole blood with 20A. fumigatusconidia ml−1,DNA that corresponded to the inoculum could be detected by PCR but GM wasnot detected in plasma separated from the blood sample, indicating that thefungus did not grow in whole blood. The quantities of DNA detected by PCR,and GM, were proportional to the amount of fungal biomass presentin vitro. Fungal DNA could be detected in the sera of mice experimentally infectedwithA. fumigatuswith maximum detection in cyclophosphamide-treatedmice.

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