False-positive beta-glucan test due to beta-glucan component in sterile gauze during treatment of fungal sepsis: a case report
Yi Wu, Da Ma, Qiling Lin, ChunLei Zhang · 2026
Read False-positive beta-glucan test due to beta-glucan component in sterile gauze during treatment of fungal sepsis: a case report by Yi Wu, Da Ma, Qiling Lin, ChunLei Zhang (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13223117.txt.
Description
Yi Wu, Da Ma, Qiling Lin, and ChunLei Zhang report a misleading lab test case in a paper from 2026. The G test hunts a fungal marker called beta-glucan in the blood. False positives are common and can mislead treatment for invasive fungal disease.
Their patient had a non-healing wound and a gut fistula after hernia surgery. Antifungal therapy worked, and blood cultures stayed negative. Yet the G test stayed positive for three straight months. The team ruled out drugs, infections, blood products, and sample faults one by one. The culprit was the sterile gauze used on the wound, which itself contains beta-glucan. The case warns labs to check the dressing before doubting the patient.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Yi Wu, Da Ma, Qiling Lin, ChunLei Zhang |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 24 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |