Recent Advances in the Diagnosis of Talaromycosis
Talaromycosis is an invasive fungal disease endemic to Southeast Asia. While culture is essential in identification, susceptibility testing, and typing, the low sensitivity and long turnaround times limit its clinical utility. Several promising monoclonal antibody-based (MAb) antigen-detection assays have been evaluated in large patient cohorts. This includes the MAb-Mp1p and MAb-4D1 enzyme immunoassays and their point-of-care platforms. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays targeting the 5.8S or 18S region of ribosomal RNA have been developed. These antigen and qPCR assays are highly specific and more sensitive than blood culture, making them excellent rapid rule-in tests for talaromycosis in people with a compatible clinical syndrome. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing is emerging as a promising tool for non-bias detection of talaromycosis. Host-based diagnostics targeting antibodies, interferon-gamma release, and transcriptomics are being actively developed. This review summarizes recent advances in the diagnosis of talaromycosis and provides expert recommendations on the application of these novel tests to improve the diagnostic algorithm and management of talaromycosis.
Authors
- Linghua Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5711-8681)
- Tihana A. Bicanic (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2676-838X)
- Lottie Brown (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9896-8682)
- Methee Chayakulkeeree (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4582-4914)
- Thuy Le (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3393-6580)
- Jasper Fuk‐Woo Chan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6336-6657)
- Ngô Thị Hoa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9320-4050)
- Sirida Youngchim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9013-0543)
- Vo Trieu Ly
- Kwok‐Yung Yuen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2083-1552)
- Cunwei Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6279-0322)
Institutions
- Siriraj Hospital (TH)
- Guangxi Medical University (CN)
- St George's, University of London (GB)
- Duke University (US)
- Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine (VN)
- Mahidol University (TH)
- Angkor Hospital for Children (KH)
- St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- First Affiliated Hospital of GuangXi Medical University (CN)
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (VN)
- Hospital for Tropical Diseases (VN)
- Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital (CN)
- Institute of Infection and Immunity (CA)
- City St George's, University of London (GB)
- Chiang Mai University (TH)
- University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Guangzhou Medical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Clinical Infectious Diseases
- Published
- 2025-05-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaf253
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Fungal Infections and Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.13
Funders
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- Federation of European Microbiological Societies
- Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation
- Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases