In situ hybridization 法による壊死性口内炎組織中のAspergillus の検出—血液疾患患者を対象とした予備的検討

抄録

Purpose: In the present study, we analyzed the usefulness of a DNA probe directed against the alkaline proteinase (ALP) gene of Aspergillus fumigatus to diagnose invasive oral aspergillosis using the in situ hybridization (ISH) technique in patients with hematologic malignancies.
Patients and Methods: The ALP probe was tested on tissue specimens from 16 patients with hematological malignancies who had invasive orofacial fungal infections and positive cultures: Aspergillus species in 13 patients as well as Exophiala dermatitis, Trichoderma longibrachiatum, and Candida albicans in 1 patient each. In situ hybridization with the ALP probe was done by using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples.
Results: The ALP probe showed a strong reaction with specimens from all 13 patients who had culture-proven aspergillosis specimens. On the other hand, the ALP probe showed no cross-reactivity with three non-Aspergillus fungi.
Conclusions: These findings indicate that ISH using an ALP probe may increase the accuracy of diagnosing invasive oral aspergillosis in patients with hematologic malignancies and facilitate the provision of adequate antifungal treatment.