Title
Pneumocystis primary infection in non-immunosuppressed infants in Lima, Peru
Date Issued
01 March 2022
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Elsevier Masson s.r.l.
Abstract
Objectives: To provide original data on Pneumocystis primary infection in non-immunosuppressed infants from Peru. Methods: A cross sectional study was performed. Infants less than seven months old, without any underlying medical conditions attending the “well baby” outpatient clinic at one hospital in Lima, Peru were prospectively enrolled during a 15-month period from November 2016 to February 2018. All had a nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) for detection of P. jirovecii DNA using a PCR assay, regardless of respiratory symptoms. P. jirovecii DNA detection was considered to represent pulmonary colonization contemporaneous with Pneumocystis primary infection. Associations between infants’ clinical and demographic characteristics and results of P. jirovecii DNA detection were analyzed. Results: P. jirovecii DNA was detected in 45 of 146 infants (30.8%) and detection was not associated with concurrent respiratory symptoms in 40 of 45 infants. Infants with P. jirovecii had a lower mean age when compared to infants not colonized (p <0.05). The highest frequency of P. jirovecii was observed in 2–3-month-old infants (p < 0.01) and in the cooler winter and spring seasons (p <0.01). Multivariable analysis showed that infants living in a home with ≤ 1 bedroom were more likely to be colonized; Odds Ratio =3.03 (95%CI 1.31–7.00; p = 0.01). Conclusion: Pneumocystis primary infection in this single site in Lima, Peru, was most frequently observed in 2–3-month-old infants, in winter and spring seasons, and with higher detection rates being associated with household conditions favoring close inter-individual contacts and potential transmission of P. jirovecii.
Volume
32
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Enfermedades infecciosas Ciencias médicas, Ciencias de la salud
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85115975806
PubMed ID
Source
Journal of Medical Mycology
ISSN of the container
11565233
Sponsor(s)
Funding: This work was supported by the European Commission (grant number Era-Net LAC 2014 HID-0254).
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus