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Immunocompetent Hosts as a Reservoir of Pneumocystis Organisms: Histological and RT-PCR Data Demonstrate Active Replication

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Abstract

The present study was conducted to further examine recent data suggesting that pneumocystosis could be transmitted between patients and healthcare workers in the hospital environment, as has been proven with Pneumocystis-infected SCID mice and immunocompetent Balb/c mice. Using an experimental design (i.e., SCID–Balb/c mouse airborne transmission system), the present work found that healthy host-to-healthy host transmission of Pneumocystis organisms can occur, and that ‘second’ healthy contacts are able to transmit the infectious organisms to immunocompromised hosts. Further tests designed to explore the behavior of Pneumocystis organisms in the lungs of immunocompetent hosts were performed using histological and molecular approaches (e.g. testing the expression of both cyclin-dependent serine-threonine kinase and heat-shock 70 protein in Pneumocystis). The results showed Pneumocystis organisms were able to replicate in the lungs of immunocompetent hosts, which indicates these hosts are a reservoir for Pneumocystis spp.

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Acknowledgments

This work was developed within the framework of research programs supported by the European network “Eurocarinii” (QLK2-CT-2000–01369), ANRS (“Agence Nationale de Recherche sur le SIDA”, contract No98016) and the French Ministry of Education, Research and Technology (“Programme de Recherche Fondamentale en Microbiologie et Maladies Infectieuses et Parasitaires”). I. D.-J. was supported in part by ANRS. We would like to thank C. Recourt for technical assistance.

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Chabé, M., Dei-Cas, E., Creusy, C. et al. Immunocompetent Hosts as a Reservoir of Pneumocystis Organisms: Histological and RT-PCR Data Demonstrate Active Replication. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 23, 89–97 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-003-1092-2

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