Diagnosis and Testing for Aspergillosis

How is aspergillosis diagnosed?

Healthcare providers consider your medical history, risk factors, symptoms, physical examinations, and lab tests when diagnosing aspergillosis. You may need imaging tests such as a chest x-ray or a CT scan of your lungs or other parts of your body depending on the location of the suspected infection. If your healthcare provider suspects that you have an Aspergillus infection in your lungs, he or she might collect a sample of fluid from your respiratory system to send to a laboratory.  Healthcare providers may also perform a tissue biopsy, in which a small sample of affected tissue is analyzed in a laboratory for evidence of Aspergillus under a microscope or in a fungal culture. A blood test can help diagnose invasive aspergillosis early in people who have severely weakened immune systems.