ABSTRACT
Antibody detection tests have proved more useful in the diagnosis of endemic fungal infections, such as histoplasmosis and coccidioidomycosis, which are sometimes difficult to diagnose by traditional methods such as culture. Monoclonal antibody-based antigen detection tests offer several advantages over polyclonal antibody-based procedures, including reduced batch-to-batch variability, and the ability to generate standardized reagents in almost unlimited quantities. However, monoclonal antibody-based antigen detection tests are sometimes less sensitive than otherwise identical methods that use polyclonal antibodies. Although substantial progress has been made in improving antibody detection tests for the diagnosis of invasive candidiasis, there is a general belief that these methods are both insensitive and nonspecific. Antigen detection tests that use polyclonal antibodies raised against unpurified or semipurified fungal antigens have significant cross-reactions with other pathogenic fungi. The choice of test procedure and reagents for Aspergillus antigen detection is important.
