Evaluation and clinical impact of the combination of Wako® (1,3)-β-d-glucan in serum and RT-PCR in oral wash for Pneumocystis jirovecii infection diagnosis: A retrospective cohort study Alfredo Maldonado-Barrueco, Claudia Sanz-González, Eduardo Rubio-Mora, Inmaculada Quiles-Melero, Julio García-Rodríguez Medical Mycology, 2025 Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) is an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients, with a complex diagnosis due to its colonizing role. Current guidelines recommend microbiological confirmation through direct microscopy of lower respiratory tract samples, 1,3-β-D-glucan (BDG) serum testing, or RT-PCR detection in lower respiratory samples. However, non-invasive diagnostic alternatives, such as oral wash RT-PCR combined with BDG serum levels, could be an option for non-intubated and non-candidates to bronchoscopy patients in a real clinical setting. A retrospective study analysed 49 patients with suspected PCP at Hospital Universitario La Paz (Madrid, Spain) between January 2020–March 2025. Patients underwent to serum BDG (Wako®, ≥ 7 pg/ml) and P. jirovecii RT-PCR in oral wash tests. The study assessed the impact of time of symptoms and treatment on microbiological findings and the clinical utility of combining tests for PCP diagnosis. Among the 49 patients, 12 (24.5%) had a positive P. jirovecii RT-PCR in oral wash, and 12 of them (85.7%) also had a positive BDG. Median BDG was 27.1 (interquartile range: 14.4–100.7) pg/ml for positive patients (P < .05). Patients with (+)BDG/RT-PCR showed a longer symptom duration compared to negative (P > .05). Previous PCP prophylaxis/treatment showed a reduction in P. jirovecii RT-PCR results (P > .05). Combining tests could be useful in patients who are not candidates for bronchoscopy (P < .05) and influenced treatment decisions, reducing unneeded PCP treatments in (-)RT-PCR/BDG in immunosuppressed patients with high pretest value. P. jirovecii RT-PCR in oral wash showed to be good screening assay in patients without PCP treatment/prophylaxis and BDG, as it appears to serve as a complementary diagnostic tool for confirming PCP infection, primarily in prolonged infectious conditions. This strategy could help optimize treatment decisions, reducing the need for invasive procedures. Further multicentric studies are needed to validate the combination test results and assess cost-effectiveness in clinical practice.
Increase in congenital syphilis in a tertiary-care centre from Madrid, Spain: Back to the classics Alfredo Maldonado-Barrueco, Claudia Sanz-González, Iker Falces-Romero, Almudena Gutiérrez-Arroyo, Dolores Montero-Vega, et al. International Journal of STD and AIDS, 2024 Globally, an increase in sexually transmitted diseases worldwide has been reported, including acquired Treponema pallidum infection. Congenital syphilis is the mother-to-child transmission syphilis infection, experiencing an increase in cases returning to incidence rates of years ago. We report three cases of symptomatic congenital syphilis occurring in a tertiary-care hospital in Madrid (Spain). Cases were diagnosed by serology and molecular biology methods. The use of molecular techniques in specimens such as skin lesion, subplacental exudate swabs, bronchoalveolar aspirate, or cerebrospinal fluid could favour the diagnosis of this clinical entity, especially in symptomatic newborns with systemic involvement.
Increase in gonococcal arthritis in Madrid, Spain, 2022-2023 Alfredo Maldonado-Barrueco, Claudia Sanz-González, Alicia Rico-Nieto, David Grandioso-Vas, Mario Ruiz-Bastián, et al. International Journal of STD and AIDS, 2024 In recent years, there has been an increase in Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in Europe and Spain. Disseminated gonococcal infection is an uncommon clinical presentation that includes gonococcal arthritis. Improved antibiotic treatment has reduced the incidence of gonococcal arthritis. However, the increase in gonococcal infections may have increased the frequency of this clinical entity in recent times. We report five cases of gonococcal arthritis in patients in a tertiary-care hospital in the northern area of Madrid (Spain) from October 2022 to October 2023. Major cases occurred in male patients with unprotected sex and polyarticular symptoms requiring hospital admission and treatment with ceftriaxone and cefixime. The use of molecular techniques has allowed the detection of a greater number of culture-negative cases of gonococcal arthritis, as well as the detection of mutations associated with resistance to fluoroquinolone for switching to oral treatment.
Prevalence of mutations associated with macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae with Allplex NG-DR Assay (Seegene) in a tertiary hospital from Madrid, Spain Alfredo Maldonado-Barrueco, Claudia Sanz-González, Iker Falces-Romero, Paloma García-Clemente, Juana Cacho-Calvo, et al. Revista Espanola De Quimioterapia Publicacion Oficial De La Sociedad Espanola De Quimioterapia, 2023 Background. The prevalence of drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections is increasing. Studies report the prevalence of NG strains presenting A2059G/C2611T (rRNA 23S) and S91F (parC) mutations conferring resistance to azithromycin and ciprofloxacin. Material and methods. We conducted a prospective cohort study evaluating first void-urine urines, rectal, and oropharyngeal swabs collected from a cohort of patients in a tertiary hospital in Madrid between October 2022 and January 2023. Samples were screened by Allplex™ 7-STI Essential Assay (Seegene®). Drug resistances were performed by Allplex™ NG&DR Assay (Seegene®). Results. A total of 1,415 patients were included, of which 112 had a positive sample for NG infection. One patient had a C2611T mutation (0.9%) and neither patient showed A2059G mutation. We found 67 (59.8%) S91F-positive patients. Forty-four patients (39.3%) not had any mutations. Conclusions. We report a low-prevalence of mutations A2059G/C2611T to macrolides and a high-prevalence to S91F in NG infections. Molecular methods for the detection of NG resistance could be useful in direct non-culturable samples.
Evaluation and clinical impact of the combination of Wako® (1,3)-β- d -glucan in serum and RT-PCR in oral wash for Pneumocystis jirovecii infection diagnosis: A … A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, E Rubio-Mora, I Quiles-Melero, ... Medical Mycology 63 (10), myaf085 , 2025 2025
Detection of bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria and outcomes during clinical gynaecological conditions using qPCR: A retrospective cohort study A Maldonado-Barrueco, E Almazán-Garate, O Armijo-Suárez, ... Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 117065 , 2025 2025
Utility of sexually transmitted infection screening in diagnosing clinical gynaecological conditions using endometrial specimens A Maldonado-Barrueco, E Almazán-Garate, O Armijo-Suárez, ... Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease 112 (4), 116830 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Comparison of AmpliSens® HCV genotypeFRT-g-1-6 PCR kit with Abbott® Real Time HCV genotype II assay for hepatitis C virus genotyping A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, A Avellón, D Montero-Vega, ... Revista Española de Quimioterapia 38 (1), 59 , 2024 2024
Utility of culture and molecular methods using AllplexTM Bacterial Vaginosis Plus Assay (SeegeneⓇ) as a tool for endometriosis, infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss diagnosis A Maldonado-Barrueco, E Almazán-Garate, O Armijo-Suárez, ... Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease 110 (3), 116437 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Increase in congenital syphilis in a tertiary-care centre from Madrid, Spain: Back to the classics A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, I Falces-Romero, ... International journal of STD & AIDS 35 (11), 916-918 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Increase in gonococcal arthritis in Madrid, Spain, 2022-2023 A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, A Rico-Nieto, ... International journal of STD & AIDS 35 (10), 831-835 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
AllplexTM NG&DR (Seegene) utility for switching oral regimens with fluoroquinolones in gonococcal arthritis A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, D Grandioso-Vas, ... Revista Española de Quimioterapia 37 (5), 425 , 2024 2024
Comparison of gradient diffusion and molecular methods using Allplex™ NG&DR assay (Seegene®) for macrolide and fluoroquinolone screening resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, I Falces-Romero, ... European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 43 (5), 1009 … , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Genetic characterization of extensively drug-resistant Shigella sonnei infections, Spain, 2021–2022 C Jacqueline, GR Carrascoso, J Gutiérrez-Fernández, TV Rangel, ... Emerging infectious diseases 29 (11), 2370 , 2023 2023 Citations: 8
Prevalence of mutations associated with macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae with Allplex™ NG &DR Assay (Seegene®) in a tertiary hospital from … A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, I Falces-Romero, ... Revista Española de Quimioterapia 36 (6), 625 , 2023 2023 Citations: 3
Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection I Falces-Romero, I Bloise, J García-Rodríguez, E Cendejas-Bueno, ... Medicina clínica 160 (11), 495-498 , 2023 2023 Citations: 19
Sexually transmitted infections and clinical features in monkeypox (mpox) patients in Madrid, Spain A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, A Gutiérrez-Arroyo, ... Travel medicine and infectious disease 52, 102544 , 2023 2023 Citations: 32
Genetic Characterization of Extensively Drug-Resistant Shigella sonnei Infections, Spain, 2021-2022 C Jacqueline Forget, G Ruiz-Carrascoso, J Gutiérrez-Fernández, ... Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , 2023 2023
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Sexually transmitted infections and clinical features in monkeypox (mpox) patients in Madrid, Spain A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, A Gutiérrez-Arroyo, ... Travel medicine and infectious disease 52, 102544 , 2023 2023 Citations: 32
Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection I Falces-Romero, I Bloise, J García-Rodríguez, E Cendejas-Bueno, ... Medicina clínica 160 (11), 495-498 , 2023 2023 Citations: 19
Genetic characterization of extensively drug-resistant Shigella sonnei infections, Spain, 2021–2022 C Jacqueline, GR Carrascoso, J Gutiérrez-Fernández, TV Rangel, ... Emerging infectious diseases 29 (11), 2370 , 2023 2023 Citations: 8
Comparison of gradient diffusion and molecular methods using Allplex™ NG&DR assay (Seegene®) for macrolide and fluoroquinolone screening resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, I Falces-Romero, ... European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 43 (5), 1009 … , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Prevalence of mutations associated with macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae with Allplex™ NG &DR Assay (Seegene®) in a tertiary hospital from … A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, I Falces-Romero, ... Revista Española de Quimioterapia 36 (6), 625 , 2023 2023 Citations: 3
Utility of sexually transmitted infection screening in diagnosing clinical gynaecological conditions using endometrial specimens A Maldonado-Barrueco, E Almazán-Garate, O Armijo-Suárez, ... Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease 112 (4), 116830 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Utility of culture and molecular methods using AllplexTM Bacterial Vaginosis Plus Assay (SeegeneⓇ) as a tool for endometriosis, infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss diagnosis A Maldonado-Barrueco, E Almazán-Garate, O Armijo-Suárez, ... Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease 110 (3), 116437 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Increase in congenital syphilis in a tertiary-care centre from Madrid, Spain: Back to the classics A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, I Falces-Romero, ... International journal of STD & AIDS 35 (11), 916-918 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Increase in gonococcal arthritis in Madrid, Spain, 2022-2023 A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, A Rico-Nieto, ... International journal of STD & AIDS 35 (10), 831-835 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Evaluation and clinical impact of the combination of Wako® (1,3)-β- d -glucan in serum and RT-PCR in oral wash for Pneumocystis jirovecii infection diagnosis: A … A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, E Rubio-Mora, I Quiles-Melero, ... Medical Mycology 63 (10), myaf085 , 2025 2025
Detection of bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria and outcomes during clinical gynaecological conditions using qPCR: A retrospective cohort study A Maldonado-Barrueco, E Almazán-Garate, O Armijo-Suárez, ... Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 117065 , 2025 2025
Comparison of AmpliSens® HCV genotypeFRT-g-1-6 PCR kit with Abbott® Real Time HCV genotype II assay for hepatitis C virus genotyping A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, A Avellón, D Montero-Vega, ... Revista Española de Quimioterapia 38 (1), 59 , 2024 2024
AllplexTM NG&DR (Seegene) utility for switching oral regimens with fluoroquinolones in gonococcal arthritis A Maldonado-Barrueco, C Sanz-González, D Grandioso-Vas, ... Revista Española de Quimioterapia 37 (5), 425 , 2024 2024
Genetic Characterization of Extensively Drug-Resistant Shigella sonnei Infections, Spain, 2021-2022 C Jacqueline Forget, G Ruiz-Carrascoso, J Gutiérrez-Fernández, ... Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , 2023 2023
