Abstract

REVIAKINA, Vera; PANIZO, Mercedes; DOLANDE, Maribel  and  SELGRAD, Sofía. Immunodiagnosis of systemic mycosis during a five-year period 2002-2006. Rev. Soc. Ven. Microbiol. [online]. 2007, vol.27, n.2, pp.112-119. ISSN 1315-2556.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic frequency of systemic mycoses at the Mycology Department of the Instituto Nacional de Higiene “Rafael Rangel” (INHRR) during a five-year period (2002-2006). Mycology case histories during the mentioned period were revised retrospectively and only the initial diagnoses of the mycoses detected were considered, discarding successive controls. Samples (serum and spinal fluid) were processed by double immunodiffusion and latex agglutination techniques. Of 7653 samples, 409 (5,3%) were positive for systemic mycoses. Thirty nine percent (2990/7653) came from HIV/AIDS patients, with 203/2990 (6,8%) positives, and 4663/7653 (61%) from non HIV/AIDS patients, with a 4,4% (206/4663) general positivity. Histoplasmosis was the most frequent mycosis in AIDS patients (67%), followed by cryptococcosis with 26,6%. Paracoccidioidomycosis was diagnosed more frequently in non HIV/AIDS patients (54,4%), followed by histoplasmosis (32%) and cryptococcosis (11,2%). Epidemiological surveillance of mycoses is essential to improve knowledge regarding them. The Mycology Department of the INHRR functions as a reference center for mycological diagnosis and performs an important part of these studies at a national scale. The systematic presentation of case revisions contributes to the knowledge of these pathologies in our country

Keywords : Immunodiagnosis; systemic mycoses; histoplasmosis; paracoccidioidomycosis; coccidioidomycosis; aspergilosis; cryptococcosis; immunodiffusion; latex agglutination.