title: Diagnosis of pulmonary pneumocystosis by microscopy on wet mount preparations.
abstract: We have compared the searching of the presence of "honeycomb" structures by direct microscopy on wet mount preparations with the direct immunofluorescence (DIF) for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in 115 bronchoalveolar (BAL) fluids. The samples belonged to 115 AIDS patients; 87 with presumptive diagnosis of PCP and 28 with presumptive diagnosis other than PCP. The obtained results were coincident in 114 out of 115 studied samples (27 were positive and 87 negative) with both techniques. A higher percentage of positive results (32.18%) among patients with presumptive diagnosis of PCP with respect to those with presumptive diagnosis other than PCP (3.57%) was observed. One BAL fluid was positive only with DIF, showed scarce and isolated P. carinii elements and absence of typical "honeycomb" structures. The searching for "honeycomb" structures by direct microscopy on wet mount preparations could be considered as a cheap and rapid alternative for diagnosis of PCP when other techniques are not available or as screening test for DIF. This method showed a sensitivity close to DIF when it was applied to BAL fluids of AIDS patients with poor clinical condition and it was performed by an experienced microscopist.
authors.affiliation: Sección Parasitología, Hospital de Infecciosas Francisco J. Muñiz, Buenos Aires, Argentina. javibava@nahuel.biol.unlp.edu.ar
authors.forename: Amadeo Javier
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bava
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bellegarde
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D011010:Pneumocystis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology*