title: Is caspofungin really an effective treatment for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in immunocompromised patients without human immunodeficiency virus infection? Experiences at a single center and a literature review.
abstract: Caspofungin, an antifungal agent that acts on the cell wall by inhibiting β-1,3-glucan synthesis, is likely to be effective for treating Pneumocystis pneumonia, because one of the identifying characteristics of Pneumocystis jirovecii is the presence of β-1,3-glucan in its cell wall. Previous case reports in which the efficacy of caspofungin was found to be favourable have supported this hypothesis. However, of 4 HIV-negative patients who received caspofungin as a salvage regimen at Asan Medical Center, none showed a response. Our negative experience opposes the optimistic view of caspofungin use for Pneumocystis pneumonia expressed in previous reports.
authors: Department of Infectious Diseases, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors: Tark
authors: T
authors: Kim
authors: Hyo-Lim
authors: HL
authors: Hong
authors: Yu-Mi
authors: YM
authors: Lee
authors: Heungsup
authors: H
authors: Sung
authors: Sung-Han
authors: SH
authors: Kim
authors: Sang-Ho
authors: SH
authors: Choi
authors: Yang Soo
authors: YS
authors: Kim
authors: Jun Hee
authors: JH
authors: Woo
authors: Sang-Oh
authors: SO
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077336:Caspofungin; D002675:Child, Preschool; D054714:Echinocandins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D055666:Lipopeptides; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D054714:Echinocandins; D055666:Lipopeptides; D000077336:Caspofungin