Role of serum (1,3)-β-d-glucan assay in early diagnosis of invasive fungal infections in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Objectives: To study the microbiological pattern of late onset neonatal sepsis cultures and to assess the diagnostic performance of serum (1,3)-β-d-glucan level for early diagnosis of invasive fungemia in high-risk infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit.

Methods: A prospective multicenter clinical trial conducted on infants at high risk for invasive fungal infections, with suspected late onset sepsis, admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit at Mansoura University Children's Hospital and Mansoura General Hospital between March 2014 and February 2016.

Results: A total of 77 newborn infants with high risk of invasive fungal infection were classified based on blood culture into three groups: no fungemia (41 neonates with proven bacterial sepsis), suspected fungemia (25 neonates with negative blood culture), and definite fungemia group (11 neonates with culture-proven Candida).