THE MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY OF PNEUMOCYSTIS JIROVECII IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICAâ
Derrick Banda, Andrew C Whitelaw and Kim Hoek
Pneumocystis jirovecii is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in immunocompromized hosts. PCP is associated with substantial morbidity, and mortality rates range from 10% to 40%. The diagnosis of PCP relies on the microscopic detection of P. jirovecii in stained clinical samples. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) may provide better sensitivity than microscopy; therefore, evaluation and implementation of PCR assays are required for the detection of Pneumocystis infection.
P. jirovecii is not cultivatable, therefore molecular tools are used for characterizing P. jirovecii genotypes; common targets are the dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) and mitochondrial large subunit rRNA (mtLSU rRNA) genes. DHPS is a therapeutic target; mutations may be associated with co-trimoxazole prophylaxis and treatment failure. Polymorphisms in mtLSUrRNA have been used for phylogenetic studies.
अस्वीकृति: इस सारांश का अनुवाद कृत्रिम बुद्धिमत्ता उपकरणों का उपयोग करके किया गया है और इसे अभी तक समीक्षा या सत्यापित नहीं किया गया है।
