title: Pathological and protective immunity to Pneumocystis infection.
abstract: Pneumocystis jirovecii is a common opportunistic infection in the HIV-positive population and is re-emerging as a growing clinical concern in the HIV-negative immunosuppressed population. Newer targeted immunosuppressive therapies and the discovery of rare genetic mutations have furthered our understanding of the immunity required to clear Pneumocystis infection. The immune system can also mount a pathologic response against Pneumocystis following removal of immunosuppression and result in severe damage to the host lung. The current review will examine the most recent epidemiologic studies about the incidence of Pneumocystis in the HIV-positive and HIV-negative populations in the developing and developed world and will detail methods of diagnosis for Pneumocystis pneumonia. Finally, this review aims to summarize the known mediators of immunity to Pneumocystis and detail the pathologic immune response leading to Pneumocystis-related immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Rangos Research Building, 4401 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15224, USA.
authors.forename: Taylor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Eddens
authors.forename: Jay K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kolls
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; D000818:Animals; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D054019:Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D007109:Immunity; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D011010:Pneumocystis / Q000276:immunology*; D016720:Pneumocystis Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy