Performance of a molecular viability assay for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumonia in HIV-infected patients.

Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), caused by infection with Pneumocystis jirovecii, remains an important opportunistic infection in humans. A reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay has been shown to specifically detect viable P. jirovecii organisms.

Antibody response to Pneumocystis jirovecii major surface glycoprotein.

We conducted a prospective pilot study of the serologic responses to overlapping recombinant fragments of the Pneumocystis jirovecii major surface glycoprotein (Msg) in HIV-infected patients with pneumonia due to P. jirovecii and other causes. Similar baseline geometric mean antibody levels to the fragments measured by an ELISA were found in both groups.

Severity and outcome of HIV-associated Pneumocystis pneumonia containing Pneumocystis jirovecii dihydropteroate synthase gene mutations.

Background: The impact of Pneumocystis jirovecii (formerly P. carinii) dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) gene mutations on morbidity and mortality of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in HIV-positive patients is unclear.

Objective: To determine whether severity and outcome of HIV-associated PCP differs according to DHPS genotype.