title: Coinfection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Pneumocystis Jirovecii in immunocompetent young woman.
abstract: Pneumocystis pneumonia is a severe opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients, caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii (P. jirovecii). The co-infection with community-acquired P. jirovecii and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) is exceptionally described in non immunocompromised patients. We herein report the case of a young woman, with no medical history, who developed an acute respiratory failure due to P. jirovecii pneumonia associated with miliary tuberculosis. An extensive immunological investigation ruled out any acquired or primary immunodeficiency, suggesting that she was most likely immunocompetent. This report shows that such infections are not restricted to immunocompromised hosts. Moreover, it is tempting to speculate that the development of M. tuberculosis infection in this patient could be a risk factor for transition from colonization status of respiratory tract by P. jirovecii to pneumocystosis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Cyto-Immunologie, LR11IPT02, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia. El-Mana, Tunisia.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ben-Mustapha
authors.forename: Kh
authors.initials: Kh
authors.lastname: Belkhouja
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kheder
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mekki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ben Romdhane
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hantous
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ben Khelil
authors.forename: L Saidi
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Slim
authors.forename: M Ridha
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Barbouche
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Besbes
mesh_terms: D060085:Coinfection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence; D045363:Pneumocystis carinii; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000150:complications*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult