title: Pneumocystis jirovecii dihydropteroate synthase genotypes in immunocompetent infants and immunosuppressed adults, Amiens, France.
abstract: To date, investigations of Pneumocystis jirovecii circulation in the human reservoir through the dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) locus analysis have only been conducted by examining P. jirovecii isolates from immunosuppressed patients with Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP). Our study identifies P. jirovecii genotypes at this locus in 33 immunocompetent infants colonized with P. jirovecii contemporaneously with a bronchiolitis episode and in 13 adults with PCP; both groups of patients were monitored in Amiens, France. The results have pointed out identical features of P. jirovecii DHPS genotypes in the two groups, suggesting that in these groups, transmission cycles of P. jirovecii infections are linked. If these two groups represent sentinel populations for P. jirovecii infections, our results suggest that all persons parasitized by P. jirovecii, whatever their risk factor for infection and the form of parasitism they have, act as interwoven circulation networks of P. jirovecii.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital, University of Picardy, Amiens, France.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Totet
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Latouche
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lacube
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pautard
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jounieaux
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Raccurt
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roux
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nevez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004094:Dihydropteroate Synthase / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D045363:Pneumocystis carinii / Q000201:enzymology*; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D004094:Dihydropteroate Synthase