Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41427885›Full record

ArticleMedical mycology2026

Analytical validation: Comparison of two laboratory-based methods for CSF quantitative cryptococcal cultures.

Andrew Akampurira, Thomas C McHale, Tony Luggya, Tihana Bicanic, David B Meya, David R Boulware

Abstract readComparative StudyValidation Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Medical mycology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

6 authors.

Andrew AkampuriraDepartment of Microbiology, College of Health Science, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Thomas C McHaleDepartment of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7226-3075
Tony LuggyaDepartment of Microbiology, College of Health Science, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Tihana BicanicInstitute of Infection and Immunity, City St Georges University of London, London, UK.
David B MeyaDepartment of Microbiology, College of Health Science, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
David R BoulwareDepartment of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Funding

Improving Diagnostics and Neurocognitive Outcomes in HIV/AIDS-related MeningitisR01NS086312 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI David R Boulware, David Bisagaya Meya · 2013 to 2026
$8.3M
Infectious Disease Training in Clinical InvestigationT32AI055433 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TWIN CITIES · PI David R Boulware · 2003 to 2026
$6.1M
Northern/Pacific Universities Global Health Research Training ConsortiumR25TW009345 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI KOLARS, JOSEPH C., NERURKAR, VIVEK RAMCHANDRA · 2012 to 2016
$5.9M
Midcareer Mentoring for Clinical Research in HIV/AIDS-related cryptococcal and TB meningitisK24AI184270 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI David R Boulware · 2024 to 2026
$648k
FIC NIH HHS R01NS086312FIC NIH HHS R25TW009345National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases K24AI184270National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases T32AI055433NIAID NIH HHS K24 AI184270NIAID NIH HHS T32 AI055433NINDS
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Quantitative cryptococcal culture of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is commonly used in cryptococcal meningitis research. We assessed the 'marble method' to evenly spread CSF onto two Sabouraud dextrose agar plates compared with the 'droplet method' using drops of CSF evenly placed around two halves of one agar plate. We found high concordance between the two methods. The Bland-Altman plot showed that the droplet method differed from the marble method by an average of -0.044 log10 CFU/ml CSF, with 95% limits of agreement from -0.324 to 0.235, indicating a small bias in favor of the marble method (P < 0.001). The droplet method of quantitative cryptococcal culture had no clinical difference compared to the marble method.

Indexed as

Cerebrospinal FluidCryptococcusMeningitis, CryptococcalMicrobiological TechniquesCulture MediaHumansCulture Mediacryptococcusearly fungicidal activityquantitative cryptococcal culture

Identifiers

PMID41427885
PMCPMC12758377

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Registered trials

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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.