Lecture 16 - bench to bedside diagnostics

Question 1

What does a ‘fungi tell’ test detect?

Answer 1

1,3-b-D-glucans (fungal cell wall component)

Linked to proteins, lipids, mannan, chitin

Question 2

What are the problems with the fungi tell test?

Answer 2

High rates of false positive as some bacteria also contain the components the test detects, it also doesn’t detect mucormycetes and cryptococcus as these lack 1,3-b-D-glucans in their cell walls

Question 3

What does the presence of 1 line and 2 lines present on a lateral flow assay respectively?

Answer 3

1 line = positive control line (the test has worked) but a negative result is given

2 lines = positive control line (the test has worked) with a positive test result