False-positive Aspergillus antigen testing due to application of pip eracillin/tazobactam - is it still an issue?

We evaluated the impact of piperacillin/tazobactam (PT) therapy on galactomannan enzyme immunoassay (GEI) testing (Platelia(TM); Bio-Rad, Mames La Coquette, France). Galactomannan contents of PT batches were highly variable. We found that false-positive GEI results can be avoided by performance of blood sampling before PT administration and by using separate sites for blood sampling and for administration of antibiotics. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.