Introduction: Several factors can cause false-positive results in the galactomannan (GM) test; however, others remain unknown. Presently, the impact of airborne contamination by Aspergillus conidia during enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) remains uninvestigated.
Methods: We studied 12 A. fumigatus isolates. Fungal conidia were serially diluted and tested for GM detection using the Platelia® Aspergillus enzyme immunoassay (EIA).
Results: The conidia concentration required for an EIA-positive result was 4.8 × 103 (median).
Conclusions: This is the first study to evaluate the impact of environmental contamination on the Platelia® Aspergillus EIA assay. Only massive contamination can interfere with GM optical readings, suggesting that environmental contamination does not cause false-positive test results.