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PNEUMOCYSTIS INFECTIONS

The genus Pneumocystis includes non-cultivable fungi that are able to induce severe pneumonitis, especially in severely immunocompromised hosts. The following species are described: P.

jirovecii Frenkel in humans, P carinii Frenkel and P wakefieldiae in rats, P murina in mice and P oryc- tolagi sp. nov. in rabbits from the Old World(8). Pneumo­cystis spp. exist in three forms: trophic, sporocytes and mature cysts. Trophic forms are the most abundant and localize in the lungs of hosts. Infection by Pneumocystis spp. appears to be a relatively common finding in many species of the orders Rodentia and Soricomorpha(9). In Europe, acute Pneumocystis pneumonia is reported in dif­ferent mammalian species of the orders Rodentia (house mouse, Mus musculus), Carnivora (weasel, Mustela nivalis), and in captive Pilosa (brown-throated sloth, Bradypus vari- egatus). Also, it has been shown that rabbits can develop spontaneous Pneumocystis pneumonia at weaning (about 1 month after birth) that develops for 7—10 days followed by recovery within 3—4 weeks.

The diagnosis of infection is performed by sampling pulmonary material by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) or by post mortem homogenization of lungs. Pneumocystis organisms are detected using toluidine blue O (TBO), GMS or Giemsa-like stains. Additionally, Pneumocystis- specific fluorescein-labelled antibodies are used to identify Pneumocystis organisms in impression smears or lung­homogenate, air-dried smears.

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Source: Gavier-Widen D., Meredith A., Duff Paul J. (eds.). Infectious Diseases of Wild Mammals and Birds in Europe. London: Wiley-Blackwell,2012. — 568 p.. 2012
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