Evaluation of a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay for detecting cryptococcal antigens in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from HIV-negative patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis.

ABSTRACT: Cryptococcal antigen lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (CrAg-LFA) is extensively utilized for the diagnosis of cryptococcosis in serum and cerebrospinal fluid. However, its application in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) has been relatively underexplored. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of the CrAg-LFA in BALF from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis (PC) over an 11-year period in a tertiary hospital in China and to compare it with serum samples. Among 514 clinically suspected PC patients at a tertiary hospital (January 2013 to February 2024), 42 were diagnosed with PC. BALF CrAg-LFA demonstrated a sensitivity of 88.1%, a specificity of 99.6%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 94.9%, and a negative predictive

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12772268 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature