Fungal infections have become a major global public health challenge! Long March Hospital Expert Posts: Early and Accurate Diagnosis is a Key Technology | Diagnosis | Expert
Invasive fungal infections occur frequently in organ transplantation, hematological tumors, AIDS and other populations, with a high mortality rate. Its diagnosis and treatment have become a worldwide problem. Recently, a team led by Academician Liao Wanqing and Professor Pan Weihua from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University systematically elaborated on important research achievements in the field of fungal infection diagnosis both domestically and internationally, focusing on the progress of traditional diagnostic techniques, molecular diagnostic techniques, and AI technology in fungal diagnosis. The relevant research results were published in the top international journal in the field of biomedicine, the Journal of Biomedical Science. Experts called for the strengthening of early and accurate diagnosis of fungal diseases to improve clinical treatment rates.
According to the Global Fund for Action Against Fungal Diseases, common fungal pathogens such as Aspergillus, Cryptococcus, Candida, and Pneumocystis cause 14.9 million infections and 1.7 million deaths annually, making it a major challenge to global public health. Rapid, accurate, and low-cost clinical diagnostic techniques are of great significance for initiating early precision treatment and curbing the spread of pathogens. However, fungal genomes are complex, culture cycles are long, cell walls are hard, and the development threshold for clinical diagnostic tools for fungal infections is high, cycles are long, and progress is relatively lagging.
Microscopic examination and bacterial culture are traditional methods for fungal diagnosis. There are many types of fungal species, and microscopic examination and identification of fungal species require experienced testing physicians. Due to the difficulty and long cycle of talent cultivation, grassroots hospitals in China generally lack relevant talents. Pan Weihua, Director of the Department of Dermatology at Shanghai Long March Hospital, pointed out that "on the one hand, we need to vigorously cultivate grassroots fungal testing talents, and on the other hand, we need to actively develop AI models for fungal recognition. Fungal strains have distinct characteristics under the microscope and in the culture medium. Through a large number of graphics for AI training, a good recognition model can be formed to assist grassroots hospital doctors in diagnosis. The doctors of the dermatology team at Long March Hospital are tackling the technical difficulties in this direction.".
Serological testing is an important tool for the clinical diagnosis of fungal infections, which can provide rapid medication evidence for clinical practice. It is an important supplement to traditional diagnostic methods such as microscopy and culture. When it comes to serological testing technology, Academician Liao Wanqing from the Long March Hospital said, "Chinese biotechnology companies have mastered key technologies, and major hospitals across the country use domestically developed products, which have also been sold to countries around the world. In recent years, domestic companies have also completed the development of new platforms for fungal serological chemiluminescence detection, and new targets such as Aspergillus antibodies are gradually being applied in clinical practice to help diagnose chronic aspergillosis and Aspergillus allergy."
The molecular diagnostic technology for fungal diseases is fast and accurate, making it the "star of the future" for fungal disease diagnosis. This type of technology includes fluorescence PCR, digital PCR, constant temperature amplification, nuclear magnetic detection, microfluidic chips, etc. It is reported that in March of this year, the China National Medical Products Administration approved the first Class III registration certificate for fungal multi assay fluorescent PCR. Dr. Fang Wenjie, the first author of the paper and specialized in molecular diagnosis of fungal diseases in the Department of Dermatology at the Long March Hospital, said, "This marks the entry of the 'molecular era' in clinical fungal disease diagnosis in China.".
In the past, fungal infections were difficult to diagnose and were not given enough clinical attention. Many patients who died from unexplained infections were diagnosed with fungal infections only after autopsy. Academician Liao Wanqing said, "With the advancement of fungal disease diagnosis technology, this situation has greatly improved. Most patients use the correct antifungal drugs on the second or even the same day of admission. Accurate testing is the key to curbing antibiotic abuse and can save patients a lot of money!"
To combat fungal infections, clinical disciplines need to collaborate in prevention and control. On June 11th, the launch meeting of the Chinese Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis Pathway of Invasive Pulmonary Fungal Disease was grandly held in Shanghai. This consensus was initiated by Academician Liao Wanqing, inviting more than 30 top experts from domestic medical mycology, hematology, infectious diseases, critical care medicine, laboratory science, radiology, and health economics to jointly write. Through clinical thinking, the latest advances in laboratory technology are connected to form China's first Chinese and international consensus on the clinical diagnosis path of invasive pulmonary fungal disease. This achievement will effectively promote the standardized diagnosis and treatment of invasive pulmonary fungal disease.
