Pneumocystis jiroveci Pneumonia in Renal-Transplant Recipients

Twenty-two cases occurred in a single renal-transplant program during an 11-month period; the outbreak ended with the institution of antibiotic prophylaxis during month 10.

Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality among immunosuppressed patients, but the mechanisms of transmission and acquisition remain unclear. When 22 (vs. the expected 0–1) patients at a renal-transplant program in the Netherlands developed this illness during an 11-month period in 2005–2006, researchers analyzed clinical, epidemiologic, and molecular aspects of the outbreak to determine its origins.

During the 5 years before the outbreak, no changes were made in the immunosuppressive regimens routinely used; prophylaxis for PCP was not prescribed. The outbreak abated 2 months after trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis was initiated. A transmission map suggested that interhuman transmis…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Pneumocystis jiroveci Pneumonia in Renal-Transplant Recipients

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Reviewing Author