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Journal of Infectious Diseases & Therapy | ISSN: 2332-0877 | Volume 6
&
Nosocomial and Healthcare Associated Infections
2
nd
International Congress on
Decontamination, Sterilization and Infection Control
International Conference on
October 15-16, 2018 | Las Vegas, USA
Concomitant
Pneumocystis
and cytomegalovirus infections in immunocompromised patients:
An under-explored but emerging infectious disease challenge
I
mmunocompromised individuals including AIDS patients, solid organ and bone-marrow-transplant recipients, and patients
receiving cytotoxic chemotherapies often suffer from
Pneumocystis jirovecii
(PJ) and/or Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections.
Nosocomial Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is not uncommon in transplant units and is particularly observed among the
kidney transplant recipients, one of the most commonly transplanted solid organs. PCP is rather commonly encountered in
the AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) patients; whereas, CMV infections are most frequently encountered among
the bone marrow transplant recipients; albeit at a lesser frequency among the solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. CMV
infection in immunocompromised individuals involves reactivation of the latent infections. Of note, most of us have this virus
in a latent form, a characteristic feature of all herpes virus. On the other hand, PJ is ubiquitous in the environment and easy to
acquire. Even though almost all of us become seropositive for PJ by 2-3 years of age; the immunity is dependent on competent
cell-mediated immunity at the time of infection. In recent years, PCP has been encountered as a relatively common cause of
pneumonia among SOT recipients as solitary infection as well as a comorbidity with CMV infections. These patients often
have been reported to suffer from underlying lung diseases and/or concomitant infections with tuberculosis,
Streptococcus
pneumoniae
, Hepatitis C and CMV. It is worth mentioning that CMV has been identified as a clear risk factor for developing
PCP among the SOT recipients. Even though an emerging challenge in the infectious disease world, concomitant infections with
PJ and CMV is an underexplored topic. With enforcement of prophylaxis, the incidence of PCP has been reduced significantly
in the AIDS patients; but not among transplant recipients. On the other hand, the incidence of CMV pneumonia among
transplant recipients and CMV retinitis among the AIDS patients are still common due to ineffective guidelines for prophylaxis.
Patients suffering from concomitant PCP and CMV pneumonia often have a poor clinical outcome, which warrants a clear
insight of the pathogenesis of this dual infection. We have studied the dynamics of concomitant PJ and CMV infections and
examined how the co-existence of this dual infection effects the disease process and clearance of each organism. Understanding
the complex phenomenon of host immune responses to the co-infection will elucidate the underlying components responsible
for hindering the clearance of one or both infections; which will help developing novel clinical approaches for managing these
severely ill patients with immunocompromised conditions.
Biography
Mahboob Quershi is presently the Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology Toruo University Nevada, USA.
Mahboob.Qureshi@tun.touro.eduMahboob Qureshi
Touro University Nevada, USA
Mahboob Qureshi, J Infect Dis Ther 2018, Volume 6
DOI: 10.4172/2332-0877-C4-046