D-arabinitol is a sugar alcohol produced specifically by Candida spp. The majority of the published literature shows a correlation between serum or urinary D-arabinitol levels and systemic invasive candidiasis in immunocompromised individuals. Several articles have suggested that D-arabinitol is a useful marker for diagnosis of candidiasis in this patient population as well as potentially be a prognostic indicator in a broad range of conditions. While discrete literature evaluating the clinical application to GI candidiasis has not been conducted, D-arabinitol has been used as a functional indicator of relevant clinical Candida overgrowth owing to the existing body of literature. Given that only certain Candida species produce D-arabinitol, it may serve as an indirect assessment for subclinical candidiasis.
References:
- Christensson B, Sigmundsdottir G, Larsson L. D-arabinitol--a marker for invasive candidiasis. Medical Mycol. 1999;37(6):391- 396.
- Yeo SF, Wong B. Current status of nonculture methods for diagnosis of invasive fungal infections. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2002;15(3):465-484.
- Kaluzna-Czaplinska J, Blaszczyk S. The level of arabinitol in autistic children after probiotic therapy. Nutrition. 2012;28(2):124-126.
D-Arabinitol
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