Real-time PCR coupled with automated DNA extraction and detection of galactomannan antigen in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis.

To improve the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA), we developed a LightCycler PCR assay targeted to Aspergillus fumigatus and A. flavus mitochondrial DNA. To avoid contamination, fully automated nucleic acid extraction with the MagNA Pure LC apparatus was used. The linearity of the results was achieved over a 6-log range of input A. fumigatus DNA, from 0.3 ng to 3 fg/10 microl of water. We retrospectively compared the LightCycler PCR and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of galactomannan (GM) in serum from 14 patients with IA. The GM assay was more frequently positive (57 of 109; 52%) than the PCR assay (49 of 109; 45%). The LightCycler PCR assay, combined with automated DNA extraction, could be used in association with the GM assay to improve the reliability of IA diagnosis.