Prevalence of <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> Colonization in Non-Critical Immunocompetent COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Prospective Study (JiroCOVID Study)
Background: <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> pneumonia (PJP) is an invasive fungal infection (IFI) that occurs mainly in immunocompromised hosts. After observing a high prevalence of PJP as a complication of COVID-19 in immunocompetent patients, we conducted a study to evaluate the prevalen...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-11-01
|
| Series: | Microorganisms |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/12/2839 |
| _version_ | 1797380024707317760 |
|---|---|
| author | Antonio Riccardo Buonomo Giulio Viceconte Ludovica Fusco Marina Sarno Isabella di Filippo Luca Fanasca Paola Salvatore Ivan Gentile |
| author_facet | Antonio Riccardo Buonomo Giulio Viceconte Ludovica Fusco Marina Sarno Isabella di Filippo Luca Fanasca Paola Salvatore Ivan Gentile |
| author_sort | Antonio Riccardo Buonomo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> pneumonia (PJP) is an invasive fungal infection (IFI) that occurs mainly in immunocompromised hosts. After observing a high prevalence of PJP as a complication of COVID-19 in immunocompetent patients, we conducted a study to evaluate the prevalence of <i>P. jirovecii</i> colonization with PCR on oral washing samples (OWS) among non-immunocompromised and non-critical patients admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia at our university hospital. Methods: All patients over 18 years of age admitted to the Infectious Diseases Unit for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia between July 2021 and December 2022 were included. Patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation or ECMO, those with risk factors for developing PJP, and those receiving prophylaxis for <i>P. jirovecii</i> were excluded. Samples were collected by gargling with 10 mL of 0.9% NaCl on day 14 of the hospital stay or at discharge. Results: Of 290 screened patients, 59 (20%) met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled. Only 1 of 59 patients (1.7%) tested positive for <i>P. jirovecii</i> detection with PCR, and the same patient was the only one to develop PJP in the follow-up period. Conclusions: Our results are in line with the previous findings of other studies that confirmed a very low prevalence of <i>P. jirovecii</i> colonization on OWS in the immunocompetent population. Despite the limitations of the study, the fact that the only patient who tested positive for <i>P. jirovecii</i> was the only one in our cohort to develop PJP leads us to reflect on the role of this non-invasive sample in predicting the risk of PJP in patients with COVID-19. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:32:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f9a4fc146302474aaf43720040c6f0d6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:32:28Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-f9a4fc146302474aaf43720040c6f0d62023-12-22T14:25:39ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072023-11-011112283910.3390/microorganisms11122839Prevalence of <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> Colonization in Non-Critical Immunocompetent COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Prospective Study (JiroCOVID Study)Antonio Riccardo Buonomo0Giulio Viceconte1Ludovica Fusco2Marina Sarno3Isabella di Filippo4Luca Fanasca5Paola Salvatore6Ivan Gentile7Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Sergio Pansini n.5, 8031 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Sergio Pansini n.5, 8031 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Sergio Pansini n.5, 8031 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Sergio Pansini n.5, 8031 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Sergio Pansini n.5, 8031 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 8031 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 8031 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Sergio Pansini n.5, 8031 Naples, ItalyBackground: <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> pneumonia (PJP) is an invasive fungal infection (IFI) that occurs mainly in immunocompromised hosts. After observing a high prevalence of PJP as a complication of COVID-19 in immunocompetent patients, we conducted a study to evaluate the prevalence of <i>P. jirovecii</i> colonization with PCR on oral washing samples (OWS) among non-immunocompromised and non-critical patients admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia at our university hospital. Methods: All patients over 18 years of age admitted to the Infectious Diseases Unit for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia between July 2021 and December 2022 were included. Patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation or ECMO, those with risk factors for developing PJP, and those receiving prophylaxis for <i>P. jirovecii</i> were excluded. Samples were collected by gargling with 10 mL of 0.9% NaCl on day 14 of the hospital stay or at discharge. Results: Of 290 screened patients, 59 (20%) met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled. Only 1 of 59 patients (1.7%) tested positive for <i>P. jirovecii</i> detection with PCR, and the same patient was the only one to develop PJP in the follow-up period. Conclusions: Our results are in line with the previous findings of other studies that confirmed a very low prevalence of <i>P. jirovecii</i> colonization on OWS in the immunocompetent population. Despite the limitations of the study, the fact that the only patient who tested positive for <i>P. jirovecii</i> was the only one in our cohort to develop PJP leads us to reflect on the role of this non-invasive sample in predicting the risk of PJP in patients with COVID-19.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/12/2839COVID-19<i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i>SARS-CoV-2immunocompromisedpneumonia |
| spellingShingle | Antonio Riccardo Buonomo Giulio Viceconte Ludovica Fusco Marina Sarno Isabella di Filippo Luca Fanasca Paola Salvatore Ivan Gentile Prevalence of <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> Colonization in Non-Critical Immunocompetent COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Prospective Study (JiroCOVID Study) Microorganisms COVID-19 <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> SARS-CoV-2 immunocompromised pneumonia |
| title | Prevalence of <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> Colonization in Non-Critical Immunocompetent COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Prospective Study (JiroCOVID Study) |
| title_full | Prevalence of <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> Colonization in Non-Critical Immunocompetent COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Prospective Study (JiroCOVID Study) |
| title_fullStr | Prevalence of <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> Colonization in Non-Critical Immunocompetent COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Prospective Study (JiroCOVID Study) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prevalence of <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> Colonization in Non-Critical Immunocompetent COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Prospective Study (JiroCOVID Study) |
| title_short | Prevalence of <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> Colonization in Non-Critical Immunocompetent COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Prospective Study (JiroCOVID Study) |
| title_sort | prevalence of i pneumocystis jirovecii i colonization in non critical immunocompetent covid 19 patients a single center prospective study jirocovid study |
| topic | COVID-19 <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> SARS-CoV-2 immunocompromised pneumonia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/12/2839 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT antonioriccardobuonomo prevalenceofipneumocystisjiroveciiicolonizationinnoncriticalimmunocompetentcovid19patientsasinglecenterprospectivestudyjirocovidstudy AT giulioviceconte prevalenceofipneumocystisjiroveciiicolonizationinnoncriticalimmunocompetentcovid19patientsasinglecenterprospectivestudyjirocovidstudy AT ludovicafusco prevalenceofipneumocystisjiroveciiicolonizationinnoncriticalimmunocompetentcovid19patientsasinglecenterprospectivestudyjirocovidstudy AT marinasarno prevalenceofipneumocystisjiroveciiicolonizationinnoncriticalimmunocompetentcovid19patientsasinglecenterprospectivestudyjirocovidstudy AT isabelladifilippo prevalenceofipneumocystisjiroveciiicolonizationinnoncriticalimmunocompetentcovid19patientsasinglecenterprospectivestudyjirocovidstudy AT lucafanasca prevalenceofipneumocystisjiroveciiicolonizationinnoncriticalimmunocompetentcovid19patientsasinglecenterprospectivestudyjirocovidstudy AT paolasalvatore prevalenceofipneumocystisjiroveciiicolonizationinnoncriticalimmunocompetentcovid19patientsasinglecenterprospectivestudyjirocovidstudy AT ivangentile prevalenceofipneumocystisjiroveciiicolonizationinnoncriticalimmunocompetentcovid19patientsasinglecenterprospectivestudyjirocovidstudy |