<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background/purpose</jats:title><jats:p>Early identification and treatment of fungal infections is essential for recipients of liver transplants, but the sensitivity of surveillance culture is insufficient. Measurement of the serum level of β‐<jats:sc>d</jats:sc>‐glucan is a rapid diagnostic strategy for invasive fungal infection. We aimed to evaluate the significance of serum β‐<jats:sc>d</jats:sc>‐glucan levels in transplant recipients after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and laboratory data of 100 consecutive adult transplant recipients after LDLT performed between August 1997 and August 2009.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Seventy‐one had high serum β‐<jats:sc>d</jats:sc>‐glucan levels (>20 pg/ml) after LDLT. Nearly half (47.2%) of the episodes of increase occurred within the first 5 days after surgery. The mortality rate of the recipients with high serum β‐<jats:sc>d</jats:sc>‐glucan levels was similar to that of the recipients without high levels. However, in terms of the time line of increase, the recipients with high serum β‐<jats:sc>d</jats:sc>‐glucan levels from 15 days onward after surgery showed a significantly higher mortality rate than those with high levels before 15 days after surgery (33.3 and 4.3%, respectively;<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> < 0.001).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>High serum levels of β‐<jats:sc>d</jats:sc>‐glucan at late time points after LDLT indicate established fungal infection and higher mortality.</jats:p></jats:sec>