Table 3.
Main characteristics of the 16 patients with positive results for qPCR assay of Pneumocystis jirovecii in nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA).
| Patient number Sex, age (yr) | Underlying conditions | P. jirovecii copy number/μl in NPA | Difference in P. jirovecii copy number/μl (Induced sputum a -NPA) | Final diagnosis | TMP-SMX or atovaquone within 15 days post NPA | Concomitant microorganism | Outcome at 3 months (day after NPA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 M, 77 | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 578 | NA | Acute respiratory distress | TMP-SMX prophylaxis | Coronavirus 229E | alive |
| 2 M, 56 | Lung cancer | 303 | NA | Bacterial infection | No | none | deceased (44) |
| 3 F, 92 | Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, auto-immune hemolytic anemia | 73 | 87 | Pneumocystis pneumonia | TMP-SMX treatment | none | alive |
| 4 F, 60 | Renal transplantation | 24 | NA | Viral infection | No | Rhinovirus/enterovirus | alive |
| 5 M, 84 | Mycosis fungoides, Sézary syndrome | 14 | 72 b | Pneumocystis pneumonia | No | none | deceased (8) |
| 6 M, 40 | Autoimmune disease | 5 | 49 | Interstitial pneumopathy | Atovaquone prophylaxis | none | alive |
| 7 F, 23 | Hodgkin lymphoma | <1 | >159 | Pneumocystis pneumonia | TMP-SMX treatment | Influenza A virus and Rhinovirus/enterovirus | unknown |
| 8 F, 23 | Multiple myeloma | <1 | >25 | Pneumocystis pneumonia | TMP-SMX treatment | none | alive |
| 9 M, 22 | AIDS | <1 | >2 | Pneumocystis pneumonia | TMP-SMX treatment | Cryptococcus neoformans | unknown |
| 10 M, 24 | Acute myeloid leukemia (6 mo post allogeneic stem cell transplantation) | <1 | NA | none | Atovaquone prophylaxis | Influenza A virus | alive |
| 11 F, 66 | Chronic lymphocytic leukemia | <1 | NA | Hypoxic bilateral pneumonia | TMP-SMX prophylaxis | Rhinovirus/enterovirus | alive |
| 12 F, 60 | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | <1 | NA | Obstructive airway disease | No | none | alive |
| 13 M, 81 | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | <1 | NA | Viral infection | No | Influenza A virus | unknown |
| 14 M, 42 | Renal transplantation | <0.1 | NA | Bacterial pyelonephritis | TMP-SMX prophylaxis | Rhinovirus/enterovirus | alive |
| 15 M, 78 | Pulmonary fibrosis | <0.1 | NA | Acute respiratory distress | No | none | deceased (35) |
| 16 M, 27 | none | <0.1 | NA | Tuberculosis | No | Mycobacterium tuberculosis | alive |
Note. TMP-SMX: Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole; NA: not applicable.
a Induced sputum (IS) performed in the 3 days post NPA.
b Only IS with positive microscopy for P. jirovecii.