Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization in preterm newborns with respiratory distress syndrome

Magdalena Szydłowicz, Barbara Królak-Olejnik, Sergio L Vargas, Żaneta Zajączkowska, Dorota Paluszyńska, Anna Szczygieł, Olga Matos, Andrzej B Hendrich, Marta Kicia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

We describe the prevalence of Pneumocystis jirovecii in mother-infant pairs of very low birth weight newborns <32 weeks gestation. Molecular and microscopic methods were used for detection of P. jirovecii in patients' specimens. Pneumocystis DNA was detected in eight nasopharyngeal aspirates (14%) of 56 newborns and in seven oral washes (21%) of 34 mothers. Pneumocystis detection immediately after birth suggests the possibility of its transplacental transmission. Comparing to non-colonized infants, more frequent occurrence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was seen in colonized ones (P=0.02), suggesting a potential clinical importance of this pathogen in abnormal lung development.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Infectious Diseases
Early online date15 Apr 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 May 2022

Keywords

  • Pneumocystis jirovecii
  • preterm infants
  • Vertical transmission
  • respiratory distress syndrome
  • bronchopulmonary dysplasia

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