Outbreak of Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia in a British Renal Transplant Centre: Evidence for human to human transmission, or an environmental source of infection: Category: Lesson in Microbiology & Infection Control

Abstract

Apart from sporadic cases, a few outbreaks of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) have been reported in renal transplant patients (RTP). The mechanisms and modes of transmission in the outbreak setting are not yet established. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital (RLUH) provides ‘hub and spoke' follow-up of over 900 RTP. In the ten years, 1999-2008 only one case of PCP had been reported. We describe epidemiology, risk factors, genotyping and environmental sampling during one of the largest out-breaks in Europe amongst RTP.