COVID-19-Associated Invasive Aspergillosis: Data from the UK National Mycology Reference Laboratory
Andrew M. Borman, M. Dean Palmer, Mark Fraser, Zoe Patterson, Ciara Mann, Debra Oliver, Christopher J. Linton, Martin Gough, Phillipa Brown, Agnieszka Dzietczyk, Michelle Hedley, Sue Anne McLachlan, Julie King, Elizabeth M. Johnson
Abstract
COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) was recently reported as a potential infective complication affecting critically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, with incidence rates varying from 8 to 33% depending on the study. However, definitive diagnosis of CAPA is challenging. Standardized diagnostic algorithms and definitions are lacking, clinicians are reticent to perform aerosol-generating bronchoalveolar lavages for galactomannan testing and microscopic and cultural examination, and questions surround the diagnostic sensitivity of different serum biomarkers.