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Pneumocystis carinii characterized by genetic diversity
WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) - Many types of Pneumocystis carinii are responsible for the pneumonia that can develop in HIV-positive and negative patients, suggesting that multiple sources of the pathogen co-exist and that inter-human transmission is low.
Last Updated: 2001-04-06 11:30:57 EDT (Reuters Health)
In a study reported in the March 9th issue of AIDS, Dr. Philippe M. Hauser from the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois in Lausanne, Switzerland and colleagues used PCR-single strand conformation analysis to determine the P. carinii types in bronchoalveolar lavage specimens from 212 patients with P. carinii pneumonia (PCP).
The majority of specimens came from AIDS patients, while 16% came from subjects with an immunodeficiency of a different origin. The HIV status of six patients was unknown.
The researchers found that 23%, 50%, and 27% of patients were infected with one, two, and three or more P. carinii hominis types, respectively. Overall, the authors identified 35 genetically stable and ubiquitous P. carinii hominis types. These types represented between 0.4% to 10% of all isolates, and up to 15% of isolates at a given hospital.
Patient and geographical location, year of collection, sex, age, and HIV status had no bearing on the P. carinii hominis type or number of co-infecting types that were isolated. No more than three patients infected with the same type were observed at the same hospital during the same 6-month period, the investigators note.
"These results seem to suggest that inter-human transmission does not play a major role in the epidemiology of P. carinii," Dr. Hauser's team concludes.
AIDS 2001;15:461-466.
-Westport Newsroom 203 319 2700
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Copyright 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters Limited content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent of Reuters Limited. Reuters Limited shall not be liable for any error or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
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