Pneumocystis jirovecii colonisation in patients with interstitial lung disease

A prospective study was conducted to determine the prevalence of colonisation by Pneumocystis jirovecii in 80 consecutive patients who required bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) following suspicion of interstitial lung disease (ILD). The mtLSU rRNA gene of P. jirovecii was identified by nested PCR in BAL samples. Patients with ILDs were divided into three groups: group A comprised those with idiopathic interstitial pneumonias; group B comprised those with sarcoidosis; and group C comprised those with other ILDs. The overall prevalence of P. jirovecii carriage was 33.8%, with colonisation rates of 37.8%, 18.8% and 37% in groups A, B and C, respectively (p not significant). There were more smokers among the carriers, but there were no other significant differences between carriers and non-carriers. The high prevalence of P. jirovecii carriers found among immunocompetent patients with ILDs in Spain suggests a possible role of P. jirovecii in the natural history of these diseases.