Survival and infectivity of Pneumocystis carinii outside the mammalian host.
Air blower prefilters servicing HEPA-filtered Biobubble housing Pneumocystis carinii-infected rats were stored for up to five months at -80 degrees C to room temperature. After storage, 76% of immunosuppressed rats exposed to these prefilters developed P. carinii infections. In contrast, only 4% of control immunosuppressed rats exposed to autoclaved filters had P. carinii infections. These observations indicate that the organism has a dormant form that remains infective for at least several months outside the mammalian host.
Kaneshiro
E S
ES
Dept. Biol. Sci., Univ. Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA.
Maiorano
J N
JN
D000818:Animals; D008322:Mammals; D011010:Pneumocystis / Q000502:physiology*; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000382:microbiology; D051381:Rats