Scientists in New Zealand have devised a breath test for detecting a fungal lung infection. Using gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy, the team detected a substance called 2-pentylfuran in the breath of people infected with Aspergillus fumigatus but not in people presumed to be free of infection.
The achievement stands as the first example of using people’s breath to detect an airborne biomarker of a pathogen in their lungs, says Stephen T.
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