Multilocus microsatellite genotyping array for investigation of genetic epidemiology of Pneumocystis jirovecii.

ABSTRACT: Pneumocystis jirovecii is a symbiotic respiratory fungus that causes pneumonia (PcP) in immunosuppressed patients. Because P. jirovecii cannot be reliably cultured in vitro, it has proven difficult to study and gaps in our understanding of the organism persist. The release of a draft genome for the organism opens the door for the development of new genotyping approaches for studying its molecular epidemiology and global population structure. We identified and validated 8 putatively neutral microsatellite markers and 1 microsatellite marker linked to the dihydropteroate synthase gene (dhps), the enzymatic target of sulfa drugs used for PcP prevention and treatment. Using these tools, we analyzed P. jirovecii isolates from HIV-infected patients from three geographically distant populations:

SUBMITTER: Parobek CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3993678 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature