Combined Use of (1, 3)-B-D-glucan and Fungal Culture for Diagnosing Fungal Sepsis in Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

Background: Fungal pathogens are an increasingly impor-tant cause of infection in paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of invasive fungal infec-tion (IFI) is essential but difficult. Aim of Study: This study aimed to evaluate the use of non-invasive serum (1,3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) test combined with fungal culture for the early diagnosis of fungal infections in the PICU. Patients of Methods: Prospective cohort study conducted on 66 randomly selected paediatric patients between 30 days and 18 years of age with sepsis, with probable fungal infection, at the paediatric intensive care unit of children’s Hospital, Ain Shams University. A complete medical history, physical exam-ination, and laboratory investigations, including fungal culture and serum (1,3)-β-D-glucan were performed. Results: A statistically significant increase in serum (1,3)-β-Dglucan levels was observed in patients with positive fungal cultures compared to those with negative cultures, with a p-value of less than 0.001 and a cutoff value of 641pg/ml. Conclusion: Serum (1,3)-β-D-glucan is of value in early prediction of fungal infection in critically ill patients.