Development and Characterization of a Molecular Viability Assay for Pneumocystis carinii f sp hominis

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 183; no. 12; pp. 1825 - 1827
• Main Authors: Maher, Nancy H., Vermund, Sten H., Welsh, David A., Dillon, H. Kenneth, Awooda, Abeer, Unnasch, Thomas R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 15.06.2001; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Adult; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections - genetics; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections - microbiology; Air sampling; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid - microbiology; Concise Communications; Disease transmission; DNA; DNA, Bacterial - analysis; Epidemiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human mycoses; Humans; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Messenger RNA; Microbiology; Middle Aged; Molecular Sequence Data; Mycoses; Mycoses of the respiratory system; Nucleic acids; Pneumocystis - genetics; Pneumocystis - isolation & purification; Pneumocystis carinii; Pneumocystis carinii hominis; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis - microbiology; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis - transmission; Polymerase chain reaction; Product category rules; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - analysis; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sputum - microbiology; Viability; viability assays; Human; Immunopathology; Lung disease; Opportunistic infection; Pneumonia; Respiratory disease; Transmission; Retroviridae; Pneumocystis carinii; AIDS; Lentivirus; Epidemiology; Immune deficiency; Fungi; Infection; Virus; Viral disease; Development; Isolate; Fungi Imperfecti; Human immunodeficiency virus; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/320738

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) remains the most common opportunistic infection among human immunodeficiency virus–infected persons. Despite this, little is known concerning the transmission dynamics of this infection. In the absence of a reliable method to isolate and culture P. carinii from environmental samples, it has not been possible to assess the importance of person-to-person transmission in the epidemiology of PCP. A molecular viability assay was developed for the human form of P. carinii (P. carinii f sp hominis) that is applicable to both clinical specimens and environmental samples. This assay will enable the evaluation of the spread and persistence of viable human P. carinii in the environment