The possible presence of Pneumocystis among healthy adults was examined by detecting Pneumocystis jirovecii-specific DNA in prospectively obtained oropharyngeal wash samples from 50 persons without underlying lung disease or immunosuppression. Pneumocystis carriage, defined by detecting Pneumocystis DNA by nested polymerase chain reaction in 2 independent analyses plus successful mitochondrial ...

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is a rare but feared complication in immunocompromised patients. Most experience with PJP stems from patients with the human immunodeficiency infection (HIV) although nephrologists see the occasional case, usually in renal transplant patients during the first post-transplant year. The diagnosis requires a high degree of suspicion and treatment is with high...

Rhodococcus equi is an unusual cause of infection in humans, but has emerged as an opportunistic pathogen among immunocompromised patients. Primary pulmonary involvement is the most common clinical presentation, although the spectrum of disease is broad. Diagnosing R. equi infections remains challenging, both from clinical and microbiological view, and no standard treatment has been established...

(1-3)-Beta-D-Glucan (BG) reactivity was tested in serum samples from 28 patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection or a hematological malignancy and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) and 28 control patients. The sensitivity and specificity of BG detection with the Fungitell assay for PCP were 100 and 96.4%, respectively, using a cutoff value of 100 pg/ml. Serum BG testing looks p...

Dapsone is a commonly used second line drug for prophylaxis of pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) in immunocompromised patients. Oxidant hemolysis, caused by dapsone's metabolite hydroxylamine, is a common side effect, and screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is recommended before the drug is started in order to prevent potential hemolytic reactions. We report a...

Anti-CD20 antibody therapy has been a useful medication for managing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as well as autoimmune diseases characterized by autoantibody generation. CD20 is expressed during most developmental stages of B lymphocytes; thus, CD20 depletion leads to B-lymphocyte deficiency. As the drug has become more widely used, there has been an increase in the number of case reports of patient...