New Short Tandem Repeat-Based Molecular Typing Method for Pneumocystis jirovecii Reveals Intrahospital Transmission between Patients from Different Wards.

ABSTRACT: Pneumocystis pneumonia is a severe opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients caused by the unusual fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii. Transmission is airborne, with both immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals acting as a reservoir for the fungus. Numerous reports of outbreaks in renal transplant units demonstrate the need for valid genotyping methods to detect transmission of a given genotype. Here, we developed a short tandem repeat (STR)-based molecular typing method for P. jirovecii. We analyzed the P. jirovecii genome and selected six genomic STR markers located on different contigs of the genome. We then tested these markers in 106 P. jirovecii PCR-positive respiratory samples collected between October 2010 and November 2013 from 91 patients with various underlying

SUBMITTER: Gits-Muselli M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4416908 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature