Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28390391›Full record

Observational studyBMC infectious diseases2017

Measuring (1,3)-β-D-glucan in tracheal aspirate, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and serum for detection of suspected Candida pneumonia in immunocompromised and critically ill patients: a prospective observational study.

Kang-Cheng Su, Kun-Ta Chou, Yi-Han Hsiao, Ching-Min Tseng, Vincent Yi-Fong Su, Yu-Chin Lee, Diahn-Warng Perng, Yu Ru Kou

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMC infectious diseases, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 27% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Asian journal of neurosurgery · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Clinical, Epidemiological and Laboratory Features of InvasiveJournal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
    Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Candida Pneumonia: An Innocent Bystander or a Silent Killer?Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Kang-Cheng SuDepartment of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No.201, Sec. 2, Shipai Rd., Beitou Dist., Taipei City, 11217, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Kun-Ta ChouDepartment of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No.201, Sec. 2, Shipai Rd., Beitou Dist., Taipei City, 11217, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Yi-Han HsiaoDepartment of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No.201, Sec. 2, Shipai Rd., Beitou Dist., Taipei City, 11217, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Ching-Min TsengInstitute of Physiology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, No.155, Sec.2, Linong St., Beitou Dist., Taipei City, 11221, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Vincent Yi-Fong SuDepartment of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No.201, Sec. 2, Shipai Rd., Beitou Dist., Taipei City, 11217, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Yu-Chin LeeSijhih Cathay General Hospital, No.2, Ln. 59, Jiancheng Rd., Xizhi Dist., New Taipei City, 22174, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Diahn-Warng PerngDepartment of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No.201, Sec. 2, Shipai Rd., Beitou Dist., Taipei City, 11217, Taiwan, Republic of China. dwperng@vghtpe.gov.tw.
Yu Ru KouInstitute of Physiology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, No.155, Sec.2, Linong St., Beitou Dist., Taipei City, 11221, Taiwan, Republic of China. yrkou@ym.edu.tw.
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University · TWTaipei Veterans General Hospital · TWCathay General Hospital · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWhile Candida pneumonia is life-threatening, biomarker measurements to early detect suspected Candida pneumonia are lacking. This study compared the diagnostic values of measuring levels of (1, 3)-β-D-glucan in endotracheal aspirate, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and serum to detect suspected Candida pneumonia in immunocompromised and critically ill patients.

methodsThis prospective, observational study enrolled immunocompromised, critically ill, and ventilated patients with suspected fungal pneumonia in mixed intensive care units from November 2010 to October 2011. Patients with D-glucan confounding factors or other fungal infection were excluded. Endotracheal aspirate, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum were collected from each patient to perform a fungal smear, culture, and D-glucan assay.

resultsAfter screening 166 patients, 31 patients completed the study and were categorized into non-Candida pneumonia/non-candidemia (n = 18), suspected Candida pneumonia (n = 9), and non-Candida pneumonia/candidemia groups (n = 4). D-glucan levels in endotracheal aspirate or bronchoalveolar lavage were highest in suspected Candida pneumonia, while the serum D-glucan level was highest in non-Candida pneumonia/candidemia. In all patients, the D-glucan value in endotracheal aspirate was positively correlated with that in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. For the detection of suspected Candida pneumonia, the predictive performance (sensitivity/specificity/D-glucan cutoff [pg/ml]) of D-glucan in endotracheal aspirate and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was 67%/82%/120 and 89%/86%/130, respectively, accounting for areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.833 and 0.939 (both P < 0.05), respectively. Measuring serum D-glucan was of no diagnostic value (area under curve =0.510, P = 0.931) for the detection of suspected Candida pneumonia in the absence of concurrent candidemia.

conclusionsD-glucan levels in both endotracheal aspirate and bronchoalveolar lavage, but not in serum, provide good diagnostic values to detect suspected Candida pneumonia and to serve as potential biomarkers for early detection in this patient population.

Indexed as

Bronchoalveolar Lavage FluidAdultAgedbeta-GlucansBiomarkersCandidemiaCandidiasisCritical IllnessEarly DiagnosisFemaleHumansImmunocompromised HostIntensive Care UnitsMaleMiddle AgedPneumoniabeta-GlucansBiomarkerspolysaccharide-KProteoglycans(1,3)-β-D-glucanBronchoalveolar lavageCandida pneumoniaCritically ill patientsDiagnosisIntensive care unit

Identifiers

PMID28390391
PMCPMC5385026
OpenAlexW2605289032

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.