EXAMINATION OF GALACTOMANNAN LEVELS IN INTRAOCULAR FLUID TO ASSIST THE DIAGNOSIS OF ASPERGILLUS ENDOPHTHALMITIS.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the utility of Galactomannan (GM) testing of intraocular fluid in the diagnosis of Aspergillus endophthalmitis (AE).

METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled three groups of patients, including those with 17 eyes with AE; 20 eyes with intraocular infection of bacteria, viruses, or other fungi; and 19 eyes with cataract. Intraocular fluid from all these patients was collected for GM testing. In addition, the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and diagnostic significance were analyzed.

RESULTS: The mean optical density index (ODI) of GM was 5.77 ± 1.73 in the AE group, which was significantly higher than that in the non-Aspergillus intraocular infection (NAII) (0.19 ± 0.11, p < 0.001) and the negative control groups (0.29 ± 0.27, p < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 1.00 (95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.00; p < 0.001) in the AE and the other two groups. At a cut-off ODI of 1.88, the sensitivity and specificity were 100.0% and 100.0%, respectively, and the Youden index reached its highest value of 1.00.

CONCLUSION: GM testing of intraocular fluid indicated good sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of AE, thereby promising a rapid diagnostic modality for AE.