Immunoenzymatic Absorption TestforSerodiagnosis of Paracoccidioidomycosis

were,however, observed withserafrompatients withother mycosessuchas histoplasmosis, lobomycosis, cryptococcosis, candidiasis, andsporotrichosis. Thesecross-reactions didnotoccur whenwe usedasantigen Yarzabal E2 component prepared byaffinity fractionation oftheculture filtrates. Specific results could also beobtained with thewholefiltrate antigen whensera were absorbed withHistoplasma capsulatum yeastandmycelial components. Besides a veryhighsensitivity (100%ofthe69casesofparacoccidioidomycosis tested), this assay showed no false-positive results forthe206non-paracoccidioidomycosis serastudied, including those from patients withother mycotic diseases. Humaninfections withParacoccidioides brasiliensis are observed intropical andsubtropical regions ofLatin America,fromMexicotoArgentina. Casesare seen mainly in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, andGuatemala andpresent a variety ofclinical formssuchasmucocutaneous, lymphonodular, or visceral. Paracoccidioidomycosis isusually diagnosedthrough microscopic identification ofthefungus in clinical material suchas sputum,lesion scrapings or exudates, biopsy specimens, etc.Sinceinmany casessuch demonstration ofthefungus isdifficult, diagnosis mustbe based on serological tests, which arealsovaluable inevaluating therapeutic results andcontrolling thecure ofthe disease. Although complement fixation (CF)tests aremost commonly usedforroutine purposes,other testshavebeen described suchasimmunofluorescence (9), precipitation in