Diagnosis of aspergillus peritonitis in a renal dialysis patient by PCR and galactomannan detection

This report describes the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and galactomannan detection to detect aspergillus in the continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) fluid and blood of a patient with multiple myeloma on CAPD and immunosuppressive treatment. Diagnosis of aspergillosis was initially made by conventional culture of CAPD fluid, but the PCR and galactomannan assays also detected aspergillus DNA and antigen in the blood, respectively. This suggests that the PCR and galactomannan assays, previously suggested as useful in the management of invasive fungal infections in neutropenic haematological patients, may be suitable for application to a broad range of clinical situations and sample types.