Abstract: Objectives To compare the anti-enolase (anti-Eno) assay with traditional (1,3)-β-D-glucan (BG) assay for the early diagnosis of invasive candidiasis (IC).Methods Blood samples collected from patients of suspected IC were analyzed with both anti-Eno and BG detection. Diagnostic values were compared based upon the results of fungal culture.Results A total of 210 patients were enrolled into this study. Fifteen patients (7.1%) were diagnosed as definitive IC by fungal culture. Positive results were obtained in 54 (25.7%) and 33 (15.7%) patients by BG and anti-Eno assay, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 46.7%, 86.7%, 21.2% and 95.5% in anti-Eno assay while 33.3%, 74.9%, 9.3% and 93.6% in (1,3)-β-D-glucan assay. The sensitivity for IC diagnosis was enhanced to 66.7% upon the combination of anti-Eno and (1,3)-β-D-glucan assay.Conclusion Anti-Eno assay is superior to (1,3)-β-D-glucan assay in the diagnosis of early IC. Combining these two assays can improve the sensitivity of IC diagnosis.

Key words: invasive candidiasis, (1,3)-β-D-glucan, anti-enolase