title: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain-reaction assay allows characterization of pneumocystis infection in immunocompetent mice.
abstract: Pneumocystis causes pneumonia in immunodeficient hosts but also likely causes infection in healthy hosts. To characterize infection in healthy mice, we developed and validated a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for quantitation of Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. muris. In healthy mice exposed to Pneumocystis-infected animals, organisms were first detected at 2-3 weeks, peaked at 5-6 weeks, and were cleared by 7-9 weeks. The peak organism load in healthy animals was 2-3 logs lower than that in immunodeficient animals. This approach should facilitate studies of anti-Pneumocystis immune mechanisms in healthy hosts and provide insights into the development of Pneumocystis pneumonia in immunodeficient hosts.
authors.affiliation: Critical Care Medicine Department, Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1662, USA.
authors.forename: Vibeke H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Vestereng
authors.forename: Lisa R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.forename: Geetha
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kutty
authors.forename: Hans H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kovacs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D016513:Mice, SCID; D016720:Pneumocystis Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D045363:Pneumocystis carinii / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D013762:Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D013762:Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase