Pneumocystis jirovecii

Abstract

Pneumocystis jirovecii, formerly known as Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. hominis, is a fungal pathogen that causes Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP). This is a serious opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients, traditionally those infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [2]. However, with the increasing number of organ transplants, PCP is also a significant risk for transplant recipients [4]. Pneumocystis may also be present in individuals showing no clinical signs or symptoms of PCP. The detection of Pneumocystis in these individuals is referred to as colonisation, carriage or sub-clinical infection [2]. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.