title: Clinical significance of Pneumocystis jiroveci in patients with active tuberculosis.
abstract: Pneumocystis colonization has been associated with airway inflammation and obstruction. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate the clinical significance of Pneumocystis in the airway of patients with active tuberculosis. Of the 108 respiratory specimens tested positive for M. tuberculosis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 11 (10.2%) were also positive for Pneumocystis by PCR. Compared with patients tested negative for Pneumocystis, those with Pneumocystis had a higher serum alanine transaminase level, a greater likelihood of requiring oxygen supplementation, and a worse 30-day mortality. The proportion of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was not significantly different between the 2 groups, but lung malignancy was more prevalent among patients with Pneumocystis. Multivariate analysis showed that Pneumocystis was independently associated with oxygen supplementation. Our study has shown an association between the detection of Pneumocystis in lower respiratory tract specimens and greater impairment of pulmonary function among patients with active tuberculosis.
authors: Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
authors: Kelvin K W
authors: KK
authors: To
authors: Ivan F N
authors: IF
authors: Hung
authors: Ting
authors: T
authors: Xu
authors: Rosana W S
authors: RW
authors: Poon
authors: Whitney C T
authors: WC
authors: Ip
authors: Patrick T W
authors: PT
authors: Li
authors: Clara P Y
authors: CP
authors: Li
authors: Susanna K P
authors: SK
authors: Lau
authors: Wing-Cheong
authors: WC
authors: Yam
authors: Kwok-Hung
authors: KH
authors: Chan
authors: Kwok-Yung
authors: KY
authors: Yuen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D060085:Coinfection / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057230:Limit of Detection; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016720:Pneumocystis Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D045363:Pneumocystis carinii / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000382:microbiology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D010100:Oxygen