Pneumocystis in the Lungs: More Common Than You Think

Nested polymerase chain reaction testing performed at autopsy revealed Pneumocystis jirovecii in the lungs of 65% of individuals who died of causes unrelated to immunodeficiency.

The prevalence of Pneumocystis jirovecii in the lungs of healthy, immunocompetent adults is unknown. Use of nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which can detect small amounts of P. jirovecii DNA, should make estimation of this rate possible.

In a recent study, researchers used nested PCR to examine lung tissue (3% by weight of the right upper lobe) obtained at legally required autopsies from 77 individuals who had died — without hospitalization — in Santiago, Chile, between May 2005 and November 2008. The deaths were attributed to violent (n=55), nonviolent (n=19), or undetermined causes (n=3); none of them could be ascribed to immunodeficiency.

P. jirovecii DNA was detected in 50 (65%) of the individuals. Microscopic analysis was subsequ…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)