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Journal of Medical Case Reports Feb 2024Pneumocystis jirovecii (PJP) pneumonia is a serious life-threatening condition in immunocompromised individuals and is often associated with human immunodeficiency virus...
INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE
Pneumocystis jirovecii (PJP) pneumonia is a serious life-threatening condition in immunocompromised individuals and is often associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) + patients. We describe a case of PJP pneumonia which provided a diagnostic challenge in a patient who presented with no known risk factors leading to a delay in initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 71-year-old previously healthy white/Caucasian male presented with subacute hypoxic respiratory failure due to multifocal pneumonia with diffuse bilateral ground glass opacities with consolidations despite prior treatment with antibiotics and steroids. He was admitted and started on intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics but continued to deteriorate, eventually requiring intubation and transfer to the ICU. Bronchoscopy revealed PJP and treatment was initiated, but the patient developed refractory shock and multiorgan failure, and ultimately died. It was later discovered that he was HIV-1 positive.
CLINICAL DISCUSSION
PJP, as a potential cause of his presentation, was not considered given that our patient lacked any overt risk factors for PJP pneumonia. He continued to worsen despite broad spectrum antibiotic therapy and hence bronchoscopy was pursued. His clinical profile, in hindsight, was suspicious for PJP pneumonia and early PJP-directed antibiotic therapy may have prevented a fatal outcome, as in this case. There was an element of cognitive bias across multiple providers which may have contributed to the delay in treatment despite his rapid clinical decline while on conventional pneumonia treatment protocol. His diagnosis was later evident when his BAL-DFA grew PJP in addition to his low levels of CD4 and CD8 cells. He was found to be HIV-1 positive five days after his death; there was a delay in this diagnosis since all positive HIV tests from the hospital are reported as 'pending' until the presumptive positive sample goes to the Connecticut Department of Public Health State laboratory for the confirmatory test. PJP-targeted therapies were initiated later in our patient's hospital course when the infection had progressed to refractory septic shock with multiorgan failure and eventual death.
CONCLUSION
PJP pneumonia is a fatal disease if not recognized early in the course of illness, and the patient usually undergoes multiple antibiotic regimens before they are diagnosed and receive appropriate clinical care. The gold standard of diagnostic testing for PJP is by obtaining bronchial washings through a flexible bronchoscopy and the turnaround time for such results may take a few days to result. A significant proportion of patients may not have any overt risk factors of immunosuppression and early empiric treatment for PJP may be clinically appropriate as the delay in diagnosis may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality risk.
Topics: Humans; Male; Aged; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Pneumocystis carinii; Risk Factors; Anti-Bacterial Agents; HIV Infections
PubMed: 38342895
DOI: 10.1186/s13256-024-04350-4 -
Clinical Rheumatology Sep 2021To compare Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) risk between patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) and the general population METHODS: We identified...
OBJECTIVE
To compare Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) risk between patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) and the general population METHODS: We identified patients with ARD recorded in the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan from 2002 to 2015 and randomly selected a comparison cohort from the general population matched for age and sex. We analyzed PJP risk stratified by sex, age, comorbidities, and medications using Cox proportional hazard model.
RESULTS
We enrolled 103,117 patients with ARD. PJP risk significantly increased in patients with any ARD and with each individual ARD like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren's syndrome (SjS), polymyositis and dermatomyositis (PM/DM), systemic sclerosis (SSc), and systemic vasculitis. Patients with PM/DM showed prominent risk with incidence rate of 12.47/100,000 patient year (95% confidence interval (CI), 32.16-86.70). In a time-dependent Cox proportional hazard model with comorbidities and medications as covariates, PM/DM, SSc, SLE, and SjS significantly increased adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) of 5.40, 5.12, 4.09, and 3.64, respectively (95% CI of 2.82-10.35, 2.16-12.13, 2.41-6.95, and 2.06-6.42, respectively). AHR after adjusting for male sex, cancer, human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV), and interstitial lung disease also significantly increased. Use of daily oral steroid dose of >10 mg conferred the highest risk followed by mycophenolate. Use of injected steroids, cyclophosphamide, biological agents, methotrexate, and cyclosporine conferred a significantly higher risk.
CONCLUSION
Underlying ARD significantly predisposes patients to PJP, with PM/DM posing the highest threat. In addition to underlying disease, comorbidities and concomitant immunosuppressants are major risks. The strongest risk is recent daily steroid dose of >10 mg. Mycophenolate seems to be a more prominent risk factor than cyclophosphamide. Key Points • Autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) significantly increased the overall risk of PJP, and so did each individual ARD. • Use of steroids, mycophenolate, cyclophosphamide, biological agents, methotrexate, and cyclosporine all significantly increased risk of PJP. • Male, elderly, malignancy, HIV, and interstitial lung disease are also related to increased risk of PJP. • Underlying ARD, comorbidities, and use of immunosuppressant should all be considered in determining the overall risk of PJP.
Topics: Aged; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Autoimmune Diseases; Humans; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Male; Pneumocystis carinii; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Rheumatic Diseases
PubMed: 33646447
DOI: 10.1007/s10067-021-05660-4 -
CytoJournal 2023Immunosuppressed individuals are more prone for opportunistic infections. pneumonia (PJP), previously known as pneumonia (PCP), is the most common opportunistic...
OBJECTIVES
Immunosuppressed individuals are more prone for opportunistic infections. pneumonia (PJP), previously known as pneumonia (PCP), is the most common opportunistic infection affecting people living with HIV. As PJP can cause life threatening serious infection to a patient, treatment should not be delayed for these cases. To study clinico-cytomorphological spectrum of PJP.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
We analysed the clinical and detailed cytological features of 15 patients with PJP who were diagnosed on examination of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid.
RESULTS
The mean age of the patients was 38.4 years (range 13 - 61 years). A total of seven patients were HIV positive; five patients were post renal transplant, and one patient was a known case of acute leukaemia on immunosuppression. Presence of foamy alveolar casts (FACs) was the distinctive feature and was noted in 14 out of 15 cases. We detected 14 out of 15 cases accurately in BAL fluid cytology.
CONCLUSION
BAL cytology is one of the important modes of investigations which can detect PJP infection. The history of fever, cough, immunosuppression, bilateral haziness in the radiography of lung and the characteristic alveolar cast indicate the possibility of PJP infection. Cytology can provide early diagnosis and can reduce the mortality of immunocompromised patients.
PubMed: 36751555
DOI: 10.25259/Cytojournal_5_2022 -
Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism Feb 2023The availability of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors has transformed the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), helping patients achieve clinical remission. However, the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The availability of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors has transformed the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), helping patients achieve clinical remission. However, the emergence of opportunistic infections (OIs) associated with the use of JAK inhibitors has been reported. This structured literature review was conducted to summarize reports of OIs associated with JAK inhibitor treatment for RA in clinical trials.
METHODS
Structured searches were performed in MEDLINE® and Embase® to identify relevant clinical trial data through March 2021. Bibliographic searches of recent reviews were also conducted, and gray literature searches were used to supplement key gap areas. Publications were screened, extracted, and quality assessed. Data were narratively synthesized.
RESULTS
Following screening, 105 publications describing 62 unique clinical trials reporting the rates of OIs in RA patients treated with JAK inhibitors were included. Overall, the highest exposure-adjusted incidence rate was reported for herpes zoster (HZ) infection (any form), followed by OI (any) and tuberculosis based on limited data from clinical trials with approved doses of JAK inhibitors. Lack of head-to-head trials and differences in trial design preclude direct comparison across JAK inhibitors. Higher rates of OIs were noted in the Asian and Australian populations compared with the global population. Higher rates of OIs were also noted with increasing dose of JAK inhibitors in most clinical trial data.
CONCLUSIONS
HZ was the most common OI reported among RA patients using all currently approved JAK inhibitors in clinical trials, although tuberculosis and other OIs were also reported. More long-term safety studies in the real-world setting are needed to compare the risk of OIs between various JAK inhibitors.
Topics: Humans; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Australia; Herpes Zoster; Janus Kinase Inhibitors; Opportunistic Infections; Tuberculosis; Clinical Trials as Topic
PubMed: 36347212
DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2022.152120 -
BMJ Open Mar 2023Rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone, once every 3 weeks (R-CHOP21) is commonly used in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), but accompanied... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
Rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone, once every 3 weeks (R-CHOP21) is commonly used in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), but accompanied by pneumonia (PCP) as a fatal treatment complication. This study aims to estimate the specific effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of PCP prophylaxis in NHL undergoing R-CHOP21.
DESIGN
A two-part decision analytical model was developed. Prevention effects were determined by systemic review of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science from inception to December 2022. Studies reporting results of PCP prophylaxis were included. Enrolled studies were quality assessed with Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Costs were derived from the Chinese official websites, and clinical outcomes and utilities were obtained from published literature. Uncertainty was evaluated through deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (DSA and PSA). Willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold was set as US$31 315.23/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) (threefold the 2021 per capita Chinese gross domestic product).
SETTING
Chinese healthcare system perspective.
PARTICIPANTS
NHL receiving R-CHOP21.
INTERVENTIONS
PCP prophylaxis versus no prophylaxis.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Prevention effects were pooled as relative risk (RR) with 95% CI. QALYs and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were calculated.
RESULTS
A total of four retrospective cohort studies with 1796 participants were included. PCP risk was inversely associated with prophylaxis in NHL receiving R-CHOP21 (RR 0.17; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.67; p=0.01). Compared with no prophylaxis, PCP prophylaxis would incur an additional cost of US$527.61, and 0.57 QALYs gained, which yielded an ICER of US$929.25/QALY. DSA indicated that model results were most sensitive to the risk of PCP and preventive effectiveness. In PSA, the probability that prophylaxis was cost-effective at the WTP threshold was 100%.
CONCLUSION
Prophylaxis for PCP in NHL receiving R-CHOP21 is highly effective from retrospective studies, and routine chemoprophylaxis against PCP is overwhelmingly cost-effective from Chinese healthcare system perspective. Large sample size and prospective controlled studies are warranted.
Topics: Male; Humans; Cost-Effectiveness Analysis; Retrospective Studies; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Prospective Studies; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Quality-Adjusted Life Years
PubMed: 36972963
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-068943 -
MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly... Jun 2021The first cases of Pneumocystis carinii (jirovecii) pneumonia among young men, which were subsequently linked to HIV infection, were reported in the MMWR on June 5, 1981...
The first cases of Pneumocystis carinii (jirovecii) pneumonia among young men, which were subsequently linked to HIV infection, were reported in the MMWR on June 5, 1981 (1). At year-end 2019, an estimated 1.2 million persons in the United States were living with HIV infection (2). Using data reported to the National HIV Surveillance System, CDC estimated the annual number of new HIV infections (incidence) among persons aged ≥13 years in the United States during 1981-2019. Estimated annual HIV incidence increased from 20,000 infections in 1981 to a peak of 130,400 infections in 1984 and 1985. Incidence was relatively stable during 1991-2007, with approximately 50,000-58,000 infections annually, and then decreased in recent years to 34,800 infections in 2019. The majority of infections continue to be attributable to male-to-male sexual contact (63% in 1981 and 66% in 2019). Over time, the proportion of HIV infections has increased among Black/African American (Black) persons (from 29% in 1981 to 41% in 2019) and among Hispanic/Latino persons (from 16% in 1981 to 29% in 2019). Despite the lack of a cure or a vaccine, today's HIV prevention tools, including HIV testing, prompt and sustained treatment, preexposure prophylaxis, and comprehensive syringe service programs, provide an opportunity to substantially decrease new HIV infections. Intensifying efforts to implement these strategies equitably could accelerate declines in HIV transmission, morbidity, and mortality and reduce disparities.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Ethnicity; Female; HIV Infections; Humans; Incidence; Male; Racial Groups; United States
PubMed: 34081686
DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7022a1 -
CytoJournal 2021Many types of elective ancillary tests may be required to support the cytopathologic interpretations. Most of these tests can be performed on cell-blocks of different... (Review)
Review
Many types of elective ancillary tests may be required to support the cytopathologic interpretations. Most of these tests can be performed on cell-blocks of different cytology specimens. The cell-block sections can be used for almost any special stains including various and for including fungi, Pneumocystis jirovecii (carinii), and various organisms including acid-fast organisms similar to the surgical biopsy specimens. Similarly, in addition to , different can be performed on cell-blocks. Molecular tests broadly can be divided into two main types and .
PubMed: 33880127
DOI: 10.25259/Cytojournal_3_2021 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2021While has been recognized as both a ubiquitous commensal fungus in immunocompetent mammalian hosts and a major opportunistic pathogen in humans responsible for severe...
While has been recognized as both a ubiquitous commensal fungus in immunocompetent mammalian hosts and a major opportunistic pathogen in humans responsible for severe pneumonias in immunocompromised patients, in pigs its epidemiology and association with pulmonary diseases have been rarely reported. Nevertheless, the fungus can be quite abundant in porcine populations with up to 51% of prevalence reported so far. The current study was undertaken to longitudinally quantify f. sp. and other pulmonary pathogens in a cohort of 50 pigs from five Austrian farms (i.e., 10 pigs per farm) with a history of respiratory disease at five time points between the first week and the fourth month of life. The fungus was present as early as the suckling period (16% and 26% of the animals in the first and the third week, respectively), yet not in a high amount. Over time, both the organism load (highest 4.4 × 10 copies/mL) and prevalence (up to 88% of positive animals in the third month) increased in each farm. The relative prevalence of various coinfection patterns was significantly different over time. The current study unravelled a complex co-infection history involving and other pulmonary pathogens in pigs, suggesting a relevant role of the fungus in the respiratory disease scenario of this host.
PubMed: 35049984
DOI: 10.3390/jof8010043 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2021is one of the most common fungal pathogens in immunocompromised individuals. Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) causes a significant host immune response that is... (Review)
Review
is one of the most common fungal pathogens in immunocompromised individuals. Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) causes a significant host immune response that is driven greatly by the organism's cell wall components including β-glucans and major surface glycoprotein (Msg). These ligands interact with a number of C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) leading to downstream activation of proinflammatory signaling pathways. This minireview provides a brief overview summarizing known CLR/ interactions.
Topics: Animals; Fungal Proteins; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Inflammation Mediators; Lectins, C-Type; Ligands; Membrane Glycoproteins; Pneumocystis carinii; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Signal Transduction; beta-Glucans
PubMed: 34975910
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.798214 -
Revista Da Sociedade Brasileira de... 2023
Topics: Humans; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Risk Factors; Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Pneumocystis carinii
PubMed: 36820664
DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0553-2022