Pneumocystis carinii and parasitic infections in transplantation

Abstract

Pneumocystis carinii remains an important pathogen in organ transplantation. New therapeutic options have been developed for the prevention and treatment of P. carinii pneumonia. Parasitic infections are recognized more frequently in potential organ donors or recipients as travel and technology for transplantation extend into endemic regions. Parasites important to transplantation are largely those that can replicate in humans and that cause infection, the intensity of which is regulated by immune mechanisms in the normal host. The spectrum of parasitic infections is likely to increase with improved diagnostic methods, expansion of intestinal transplantation, and xenotransplantation.