Genetic Polymorphisms of 3 Cases Pneumocystis jirovecii in Shanxi Province PR China

Abstract Background Pneumocystis jirovecii (P. jirovecii) is an opportunistic fungus and is a well-known cause of potentially fatal Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP). However, the epidemiology and biology of P. jirovecii is limited because of the lack of a continuous and reliable culture system in vitro. This study was performed with the objectives of investigating the genetic polymorphisms of P. jirovecii from 3 cases in Shanxi Province PR China with the utilizations of molecular biological technique.Methods Analysis of genetic polymorphisms in P. jirovecii including the internal transcribed spacer regions of rRNA operon (ITS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), cytochrome b (CYB) and the mitochondrial large-subunit rRNA (mt LSU rRNA) genes were performed by Nested-PCR amplification, TA clone, sequencing and genotyping. We assessed its correlation with clinical characteristics of patients with P. jirovecii pneumonia (PJP). Results Of three patients with PJP included in the present study, the genetic diversities and polymorphic combinations of SOD 1, DHFR 312C, DHPS WT, mt3 genotypes separately occurred in the two HIV-positive patients, while coinfections with two genotypes of P. jirovecii in the same patient without HIV were detected for different genetic loci including ITS, SOD, CYB and mt LSU rRNA in this study. The pulmonary concurrent infection with other pathogens was detected in this HIV-negative patient.Conclusions The present study is the first analyzed and assessed the genetic polymorphisms of 3 cases P. jirovecii in Shanxi province PR China suggesting that genetic diversities and concurrent infection with other pathogens were possibly associated with the clinical characteristics and outcomes in PJP patients especially those without HIV.Trial registration Not applicable.