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Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) is a life-threatening infection that occurs predominantly in severely immunocompromised patients. Diagnosis can be difficult and requires microscopic examination of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, induced sputum, or lung tissue. PCR assays using such specimens have shown promise but do not overcome the inconvenience of specimen acquisition. Investigators in Tokyo recently conducted a retrospective case-control study to evaluate the usefulness of four serum markers — lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), β-D-glucan, and KL-6 antigen — in the diagnosis of PCP.
Of 295 patients with suspected PCP who underwent BAL, 57 were PCP-positive. These patients had significantly lower lymphocyte c…