Definition of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis(ABPA) and proposed definition of severe asthma with fungal sensitisation (SAFS), with some additional features
| Feature | ABPA# | SAFS (proposed) |
| Clinical features | ||
| Asthma | Any severity | Severe¶ |
| Pulmonary infiltrates (history) | Yes, which resolve with corticosteroids | No |
| Eosinophilia | Yes, if not on systemic corticosteroids | Not studied, but not required |
| Central bronchiectasis | Yes, but many patients with early disease do not have this feature | No |
| Thick mucous plugs | Yes, usually | Unknown |
| Chronic rhinosinusitis, with or without nasal polyps | Occasional | Sometimes |
| Fungal features | ||
| Aspergillus precipitins positive (2× asthma control) | Yes (almost all cases) | No |
| Aspergillus IgG test positive (2× asthma control) | Yes | No |
| Aspergillus prick test positive (>3 mm) | Yes | Yes or no+ |
| Other fungal skin tests positive (>3 mm) | No§ | Yes or no+ |
| Serum IgE elevated (>1000 IU·mL−1) | Yes (may be only >500 IU·mL−1, especially if on corticosteroids) | No (<1000 IU·mL−1) |
| Aspergillus-specific RAST test positive (2× asthma control) | Yes | Yes or no+ |
| Other fungal RAST test positive | No§ | Yes or no+ |
| Airways colonised by Aspergillus fumigatus | Yes | Unknown |
Ig: immunoglobulin; RAST: radioallergosorbent test. #: as defined by Ricketti et al. 126 and Patterson et al. 127; ¶: typically British Thoracic Society level 4 or equivalent; +: at least one fungal skin or RAST test positive (better and more specific tests may emerge in the future); §: there are rare instances of bronchopulmonary mycosis due to other fungi, with typical clinical features.