Aspergillus antibodies test

This test is mainly ordered for diagnosing Aspergillus allergy or infection. It may also be ordered to manage or know the progress of the prescribed treatment. Following is a list of symptoms common to most Aspergillus allergy or infections:

• Fatigue
• Cough
• Weight loss
• Coughing blood
• Shortness of breath
• Excess sticky sputum in cough
• No response to antibiotic treatment

Some other symptoms may also include wheezing, difficulty in exercising, recurring fever and chest pain or tightness.

Your doctor might order an Aspergillus antibodies panel if you have had the above-mentioned symptoms for more than three months.

Usually, an Aspergillus antibodies panel involves the use of a blood sample. Therefore, not much preparation is required before the test. It is essential to inform the doctor about your past work and travel history before any fungal test process as this can lead to better diagnosis of the disease. If you have any doubts about the test, you can speak to your doctor before the procedure.

A technician or nurse will withdraw a small amount of blood from a vein in your arm using a sterilised needle. As they withdraw blood, you may feel a stinging sensation on the skin. However, this will go away on its own.

Some people observe slight bruising on the skin at the site from where the blood was taken. It usually disappears in some time. In case it does not fade away soon, please consult your doctor.

Normal results:

A normal result in case of Aspergillus antibodies panel is reported as negative. It means that there are no antibodies in the blood sample or the number of antibodies is too low to be significant. It could indicate that the person does not have an allergy or an infection in most cases. However, a negative result does not eliminate the chances of occurrence of the condition called aspergillosis - a respiratory infection caused due to aspergillus.

Abnormal results:

An abnormal result in the case of this test is reported as positive. It means that some antibodies against Aspergillus have been detected in the blood sample. The laboratory may be able to report the severity of the detection. Your doctor will be able to explain the results better. A few diseases associated with the presence of antibodies against Aspergillus are as follows:

Usually, the presence of IgG in the sample is also associated with a past infection of the fungi.

The doctor will be able to explain the severity of the result and provide you with the most appropriate treatment. They may also need you to undergo other tests to confirm the diagnosis. They may even need to repeat the test when they begin the treatment as it may take many months to show improvement. Therefore, testing again during the process would clarify whether the treatment is effective or not.

Disclaimer: All results must be clinically correlated with the patient’s complaints to make a complete and accurate diagnosis. The above information is provided from a purely educational point of view and is in no way a substitute for medical advice by a qualified doctor.