Usefulness of determination of β-D-glucan in the diagnosis of deep mycosis - experience in Japan.

The G-test was developed in 1992 by Obayashi et al. as a serological diagnostic test for the measurement of β-D-glucan (BDG). A multicenter clinical study demonstrated the utility of the G-test for the diagnosis of deep mycosis with a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 100%. Determination of BDG has found wide application in Japan, particularly in the fields of hematological diseases and hematopoietic stem cell transplants. A case of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in which BDG determination was useful for diagnosis was presented. BDG was expected to serve as an extremely useful method of screening of deep mycosis. The possibility of BDG as a surrogate marker for a presumptive therapy of patients with fever not responding to broad-spectrum antibiotics was discussed.