Jose M. Varela1, Francisco J. Medrano1, Eduardo Dei-Cas2,3 and Enrique J. Calderón1 1Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla and CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Internal Medicine Service, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital. Seville, 2Parasitology-Mycology Service (EA4547), Centre of Biology Pathology, Lille-2 University Hospital Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Univ. Lille Nord de France, 3Bi...

Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP) is a serious fungal infection among immunocompromised patients. In developed countries, the epidemiology and clinical spectrum of PcP have been clearly defined and well documented. However, in most developing countries, relatively little is known about the prevalence of pneumocystosis. Several articles covering African, Asian and American countries were reviewed in ...

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to evaluate the genetic variation of Pneumocystis jirovecii dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene in an immunocompromised Portuguese population and to investigate the possible association between DHFR genotypes and P. jirovecii pneumonia (PcP) prophylaxis with co-trimoxazole. METHODS One hundred and thirty-eight P. jirovecii isolates were submitted to...

Among several bacterial and viral pathogens, the atypical fungal organism Pneumocystis jirovecii has been implicated as a contributor to the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a previous study, we reported that Pneumocystis-colonized HIV-positive subjects had worse obstruction of airways and higher sputum levels of macrophage elastase/matrix metalloproteinase 12 (M...

BACKGROUND When Pneumocystis DNA is recovered from respiratory specimens of patients without Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), patients are said to be colonised with Pneumocystis, although the significance of this state is unknown. Understanding risk factors for and outcomes of colonisation may provide insights into the life cycle and transmission dynamics of Pneumocystis jirovecii. METHODS We pe...

Pneumocystis jirovecii is an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised and AIDS patients. Detection by quantitative PCR is faster and more sensitive than microscopic diagnosis yet requires specific infrastructure. We adapted a real-time PCR amplifying the major surface glycoprotein (MSG) target from Pneumocystis jirovecii for use on the new BD MAX platform. The assay allowed fully automated D...

A 43-year-old man presented with fatigue and weight loss. He was diagnosed with HIV, but antiretroviral therapy was discontinued. Physical examination demonstrated oral thrush, but no other abnormal findings. Blood tests revealed a CD4 cell count of 77/μL and HIV-RNA of 7.7×10 copies/ mL. A chest computed tomography (CT) scan showed diffuse ground-glass opacities and multiple cysts with mediast...