title: Detection of Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. hominis and viruses in presumably immunocompetent infants who died in the hospital or in the community.
abstract: Fresh-frozen lung and tracheal-aspirate specimens obtained from 112 infants who died in Santiago, Chile, during 1998-2000 were analyzed for the presence of Pneumocystis DNA, by use of nested DNA amplification of the large subunit mitochondrial rRNA, and for the presence of viruses, by use of culture and immunofluorescence. Pneumocystis DNA was detected in specimens from 45 (51.7%) of 87 infants who died in the community and from 5 (20%) of 25 infants who died in the hospital (P=.006). Primary infection with Pneumocystis was highly frequent among infants who die unexpectedly in the community. Infection with viruses was more common in infants who died in the hospital.
authors.affiliation: Programas de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. svargas@terra.cl
authors.forename: Sergio L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: Carolina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ponce
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Luchsinger
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Belletti
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Velozo
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Avila
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Palomino
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benveniste
authors.forename: Luis F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Avendaño
mesh_terms: D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000032:analysis; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000032:analysis; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D045363:Pneumocystis carinii / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000209:etiology*; D014132:Trachea / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014780:Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal