title: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in renal transplant recipients: a national center experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) represents an important cause of morbidity and mortality in kidney transplant recipients. In recent years an increasing number of PCP outbreaks have been reported worldwide.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective study including the demographic, clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic parameters of all renal transplant recipients with PCP in Slovenia during the period from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the 2011, 13/601 (2.2%) kidney transplant recipients followed in our center experienced PCP. The median time from transplantation to development of disease was 17 months (range, 3-148). Three recipients had PCP during the first year after transplantation because of early trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) discontinuation; in 3, it was related to acute graft rejection treatment; and in 6, to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Pneumocystis jirovecii was microbiologically confirmed in 10 recipients. In 10 of 13 patients serum concentrations of lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) were increased. In addition, serum concentrations of beta-d-glucan was determined in 9 cases was elevated in each one.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of PCP was low, most probably owing to prolonged (12 months) TMP-SMX prophylaxis. Premature TMP-SMX discontinuation in the first year after transplantation, treatment of graft rejection and CMV infection seemed to be risk factors for PCP. Elevated serum beta-d-glucan concentration was a better noninvasive indicator of P jirovecii infection than elevated serum LDH concentration. In cases with no microbiological conformation, beta-d-glucan and LDH concentrations were helpful to establish the diagnosis of PCP for early treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia. spelaborstnar@hotmail.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borstnar
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lindic
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tomazic
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kandus
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pikelj
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prah
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skvarc
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Godnov
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kovac
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D045363:Pneumocystis carinii / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017524:Slovenia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination