Finding the right tests…
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Finding the right tests…
ELISA
This test measures IgE antibodies specific to Aspergillus fumigatus, a mold found in soil, compost, and damp indoor spaces, and is used mainly to look for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, a lung condition that develops in some people with asthma or cystic fibrosis. International diagnostic criteria set a specific threshold - a level of 0.35 kUA/L or higher - as one of the two required findings, alongside a total IgE level typically above 500 IU/mL. Doctors order it when asthma control worsens despite treatment, or when imaging shows patterns such as central bronchiectasis or mucus plugging that suggest an allergic reaction to fungus rather than a straightforward asthma flare.
The result reports how much Aspergillus fumigatus-specific IgE is circulating in your blood, in kUA/L, against the diagnostic cutoff of 0.35 kUA/L used in current criteria for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. A positive result alone does not confirm the diagnosis - it is one of two required findings, paired with a raised total IgE level, and supported by chest imaging changes, blood eosinophil counts, and sometimes a positive Aspergillus-specific IgG. Since the disease mainly affects people who already have asthma or cystic fibrosis, this test is rarely ordered as a stand-alone allergy screen otherwise.
Unlike a general allergy panel, this test exists mainly to help diagnose allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, a hypersensitivity reaction to Aspergillus fumigatus that develops almost exclusively in people who already have asthma or cystic fibrosis. Estimates suggest it affects somewhere around one in ten adults with asthma seen at specialist centres, and close to one in ten people with cystic fibrosis.
Diagnostic criteria developed by an international working group require a specific IgE level of 0.35 kUA/L or higher as one of two essential findings, the other being a raised total IgE, usually above 500 IU/mL. Neither number alone is enough - both are needed before the remaining supporting features, such as chest imaging and eosinophil counts, are weighed in.
Doctors often order Aspergillus-specific IgG alongside this test, since a raised IgG level is one of the supporting findings used when the two essential IgE-based criteria are met but the picture still needs strengthening. The two antibody types answer different questions - IgE points to an allergic reaction, IgG points to prior or ongoing exposure - and together they build a stronger case than either alone.
Current international criteria for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis use a level of 0.35 kUA/L or higher as one of two essential findings, the other being a raised total IgE. Ranges vary by lab and by assay, so check the cutoff printed on your own report.
No, this test looks for an allergic reaction to the mold, not an active infection. A separate test, Aspergillus-specific IgG, is used when doctors are investigating chronic infection rather than allergy.
The condition it helps diagnose, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, develops almost exclusively in people who already have one of these two underlying lung conditions. It is rarely useful as a general allergy screen outside that group.
This page is general information about the test, not medical advice. Your own report's reference ranges apply — please discuss your results with your doctor.
Don't stop any medicine without asking first. Tell your doctor or the centre what you're taking, since some treatments can affect related test results such as total IgE and eosinophil counts.
No. It is one of two essential findings, paired with a raised total IgE level, and supported by chest imaging changes and blood eosinophil counts. Your doctor builds the diagnosis from the full picture, not one test.
Both look for an allergic sensitisation to the mold, but this is a blood test measuring circulating antibody, while a skin prick test observes a physical reaction on the skin. Doctors may use either, or both, depending on the situation.
Yes, levels can fall with corticosteroid treatment for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, which is one reason doctors sometimes repeat the test to help judge response to treatment.