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Aspergillosis test: antibodies to aspergillosis pathogen in blood
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Antibodies to the aspergillosis pathogen are normally absent in the blood serum.
The causative agent of aspergillosis is opportunistic mold fungi of the genus Aspergillus - aspergilli. The disease is characterized by the predominance of damage to the organs of the bronchopulmonary system. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis is detected in 1-2% of patients with chronic asthma. The diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis is made if the examination reveals a combination of the following signs (present in more than 90% of patients):
- attacks of bronchial asthma;
- the number of eosinophils in the peripheral blood is more than 1×10 9 /l (often more than 3×10 9 /l);
- rapidly disappearing or long-lasting limited shadows on chest radiographs;
- bronchiectasis in the area of large bronchi in the absence of changes in smaller bronchi during computed tomography or bronchography;
- positive skin tests with Aspergillus antigen;
- increased levels of total IgE in the blood serum (usually more than 1000 IU/ml);
- increased levels of Aspergillus-specific IgE and IgG;
- detection of antibodies to the causative agent of aspergillosis in blood serum.
In smear microscopy and sputum cultures, pathogens are detected in more than 60% of patients. Since Aspergillus is widespread and can accidentally enter the culture, its detection in a single culture cannot serve as a reliable sign of aspergillosis.
In serological testing, IgG antibodies to Aspergillus antigens are detected in the blood serum of most infected people and in almost all patients in whose lungs a fungal "ball" is detected during X-ray examination (about 90% of cases). The test has 100% specificity. It is important to study the antibody titer over time. Aspergillosis is characterized by an increase in the antibody titer.
A more sensitive serological diagnostics of aspergillosis is the detection of antigens (galactomannans) of aspergillus in the blood. The latex test and the ELISA method (more sensitive) are used. The sensitivity of the ELISA for galactomannans is 50-60%, with repeated testing it reaches 90%, the specificity is 90-100%.
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