OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of severe Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in HIV-infected and non HIV-infected patients. METHODS: Bronchoalveolar lavage specimens from 212 European patients with PCP were typed using PCR--single strand conformation polymorphism analysis of four genomic regions of P. carinii f. sp. hominis. Demographic and clinical information was obtained from all patients. RESULTS: Twenty-three per cent of the patients were presumably infected with a single P. c. hominis type. The other patients presented with two (50%) or more (27%) types. Thirty-five genetically stable and ubiquitous P. c. hominis types were found. Their frequency ranged from 0.4% to 10% of all isolates, and up to 15% of those from a given hospital. There was no significant association between the P. c. hominis type or number of co-infecting types per patient and geographical location, year of collection, sex, age, or HIV status. No more than three patients infected with the same type were observed in the same hospital within the same 6 month period, and no epidemiological link between the cases was found. CONCLUSIONS: The broad diversity of types observed seems to indicate that multiple sources of the pathogen co-exist. There was no evidence that in our study population inter-human transmission played a significant role in the epidemiology of P. carinii.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of severe Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in HIV-infected and non HIV-infectedpatients. METHODS: Bronchoalveolar lavage specimens from 212 European patients with PCP were typed using PCR--single strand conformation polymorphism analysis of four genomic regions of P. carinii f. sp. hominis. Demographic and clinical information was obtained from all patients. RESULTS: Twenty-three per cent of the patients were presumably infected with a single P. c. hominis type. The other patients presented with two (50%) or more (27%) types. Thirty-five genetically stable and ubiquitous P. c. hominis types were found. Their frequency ranged from 0.4% to 10% of all isolates, and up to 15% of those from a given hospital. There was no significant association between the P. c. hominis type or number of co-infecting types per patient and geographical location, year of collection, sex, age, or HIV status. No more than three patients infected with the same type were observed in the same hospital within the same 6 month period, and no epidemiological link between the cases was found. CONCLUSIONS: The broad diversity of types observed seems to indicate that multiple sources of the pathogen co-exist. There was no evidence that in our study population inter-human transmission played a significant role in the epidemiology of P. carinii.
Authors: Sabine Schmoldt; Regina Schuhegger; Thorsten Wendler; Ingrid Huber; Heidelore Söllner; Michael Hogardt; Helmut Arbogast; Jürgen Heesemann; Lutz Bader; Andreas Sing Journal: J Clin Microbiol Date: 2008-01-23 Impact factor: 5.948
Authors: Elodie Senggen Manoloff; Patrick Francioli; Patrick Taffé; Guy Van Melle; Jacques Bille; Philippe M Hauser Journal: Emerg Infect Dis Date: 2003-01 Impact factor: 6.883
Authors: Aimable Nahimana; Meja Rabodonirina; Jannik Helweg-Larsen; Isabelle Meneau; Patrick Francioli; Jacques Bille; Philippe M Hauser Journal: Emerg Infect Dis Date: 2003-07 Impact factor: 6.883