Diagnosing COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis
Paul E. Verweij, Jean‐Pierre Gangneux, Matteo Bassetti, Roger J. M. Brüggemann, Oliver A. Cornely, Philipp Koehler, Cornelia Lass‐Flörl, Frank L. van de Veerdonk, Arunaloke Chakrabarti, Martin Hoenigl
Abstract
There is increasing concern that patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) might be at risk of developing invasive pulmonary aspergillosis co-infection.1 In a cohort of 221 patients with COVID-19 in China, fungal infections were diagnosed in seven individuals, all of whom were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).2 However, causative fungal pathogens were not identified.2 Given that in China, galactomannan testing is rarely available,3 the real burden of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with COVID-19 requiring ICU admission is probably underestimated.