Molecular evidence of interhuman transmission of Pneumocystis pneumonia among renal transplant recipients hospitalized with HIV-infected patients

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 10; no. 10; pp. 1766 - 1773
• Main Authors: Rabodonirina, Meja, Vanhems, Philippe, Couray-Targe, Sandrine, Gillibert, René-Pierre, Ganne, Christell, Nizard, Nathalie, Colin, Cyrille, Fabry, Jacques, Touraine, Jean-Louis, van Melle, Guy, Nahimana, Aimable, Francioli, Patrick, Hauser, Philippe M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01-10-2004; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Adult; Cluster Analysis; Complications and side effects; Cross infection; Cross Infection - epidemiology; Epidemiology; Female; France - epidemiology; HIV Infections - complications; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; interhuman transmission; Kidney Transplantation; Kidneys; Life Sciences; Male; Middle Aged; Molecular Epidemiology; Mycological Typing Techniques; Nosocomial infections; Other; Pneumocystis carinii; Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia; Pneumocystis jirovecii; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis - complications; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis - transmission; sulfa drug resistance; Time Factors; Transplantation; United States
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid1010.040453

Ten Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) cases were diagnosed in renal transplant recipients (RTRs) during a 3-year period. Nosocomial transmission from HIV-positive patients with PCP was suspected because these patients shared the same hospital building, were not isolated, and were receiving suboptimal anti-PCP prophylaxis or none. P. jirovecii organisms were typed with the multitarget polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism method. Among the 45 patients with PCP hospitalized during the 3-year period, 8 RTRs and 6 HIV-infected patients may have encountered at least 1 patient with active PCP within the 3 months before the diagnosis of their own PCP episode. In six instances (five RTRs, one HIV-infected patient), the patients harbored the same P. jirovecii molecular type as that found in the encountered PCP patients. The data suggest that part of the PCP cases observed in this building, particularly those observed in RTRs, were related to nosocomial interhuman transmission.