Pneumocystis has been identified in various mammalian species, including domestic, wild and zoo animals. This study's main objectives were: (1) to estimate the prevalence of the Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. suis infection in slaughtered pigs in Portugal, (2) assess the prevalence differences within distinct age groups of animals, (3) determine the possible associations between pulmonary lesions ...

Pneumocystis carinii is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening pneumonia in immunocompromised individuals. Infants appear to be particularly susceptible to Pneumocystis pulmonary infections. We have previously demonstrated that there is approximately a 3-week delay in the clearance of Pneumocystis organisms from pup mouse lungs compared to that in adults. We have further ...

Background and Objective: Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) has been historically the most prevalent opportunistic infection in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Culture of the organism has not been faced with suitable success in artificial media, while various results have been reported for cell culture media. The aim of this study was proliferation of Pneumocystis carinii on...

METHODS Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia occasionally appears in immunodeficient patients. While several reports have shown that Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia occurred in the early phase of starting infliximab treatment in patients with Crohn's disease (CD), the present case suggests for the first time that an increased dosage of infliximab may also lead to pneumonia. RESULTS A 51-year-old mal...

A case of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia developing a patient with treated diffuse lymphocytic lymphoma is described. The electron microscopic features and life cycle of the organism are illustrated. The patient died twenty-four hours after the biopsy had been taken. Septrin appeared to have affected the trophozoite stage. Pneumocystis carinii appears to induce interstitial pulmonary oedema and...

Mice immunized with recombinant mouse Pneumocystis carinii antigen A12-thioredoxin fusion protein developed an antibody response that recognized P. carinii antigens, as determined by Western blotting and immunofluorescence analysis. Compared to mice immunized with thioredoxin alone, mice immunized with A12-thioredoxin had significantly reduced lung P. carinii burdens after CD4+ T-cell depletion...

Pneumocystis species are opportunistic fungal pathogens that cause severe pneumonia in immunocompromised hosts. Recent evidence has suggested that unidentified proteases are involved in Pneumocystis life cycle regulation. Proteolytically active ADAM (named for "a disintegrin and metalloprotease") family molecules have been identified in some fungal organisms, such as Aspergillus fumigatus and S...