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. 2007 Jan;13(1):66-72.
doi: 10.3201/eid1301.060315.

Primary pneumocystis infection in infants hospitalized with acute respiratory tract infection

Hans Henrik Larsen  1 , Marie-Louise von Linstow, Bettina Lundgren, Birthe Høgh, Henrik Westh, Jens D Lundgren
Affiliations

Primary pneumocystis infection in infants hospitalized with acute respiratory tract infection

Hans Henrik Larsen et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Jan.

Abstract

Acquisition of Pneumocystis jirovecii infection early in life has been confirmed by serologic studies. However, no evidence of clinical illness correlated with the primary infection has been found in immunocompetent children. We analyzed 458 nasopharyngeal aspirates from 422 patients hospitalized with 431 episodes of acute respiratory tract infection (RTI) by using a real-time PCR assay. In 68 episodes in 67 infants, P. jirovecii was identified. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of a positive signal compared with the first quartile of age (7-49 days) was 47.4 (11.0-203), 8.7 (1.9-39.7), and 0.6 (0.1-6.7) for infants in the second (50-112 days), third (113-265 days), and fourth (268-4,430 days) age quartiles, respectively. Infants with an episode of upper RTI (URTI) were 2.0 (1.05-3.82) times more likely to harbor P. jirovecii than infants with a lower RTI. P. jirovecii may manifest itself as a self-limiting URTI in infants, predominantly those 1.5-4 months of age.

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Figures

Figure
Figure
Plot of logarithmic transformed values of copies/ng betaglobin detected in PCR-positive tubes (○). Red line denotes normal distribution.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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