Abstract

Pneumocystis (Pc) is a major cause of lethal pneumonia (P) in HIV patients, but seroepidemiological studies have been severely limited by the lack of suitable reagents. I have developed recombinant fragments (A, B,C) of the human PC major surface glycoprotein (Msg) and found that one of them, MsgC, shows considerable promise as an antigen for these studies in an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). I hypothesize that MsgC is a universal serologic marker for PC infection, and that the highest level of antibodies will be found in HIV patients who recovered from PcP (PcP+). The goals of this proposal are to analyze serum antibody responses, as well as the host factors that influence these responses, to the Msg fragments in adult HIV PcP+ patients, HIV patients who never had PcP (PcP-), and healthy blood donors in 8 different international locations. Data obtained from these studies will lead to the first standard antigen for PC serologic studies, and enhance our understanding of the epidemiology and immunology of PC infection.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AI062492-05
Application #
7585265
Study Section
AIDS Clinical Studies and Epidemiology Study Section (ACE)
Program Officer
Lambros, Chris
Project Start
2005-09-15
Project End
2011-02-28
Budget Start
2009-03-01
Budget End
2011-02-28
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$467,657
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of Cincinnati
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
041064767
City
Cincinnati
State
OH
Country
United States
Zip Code
45221

  Publications

Fong, Serena; Daly, Kieran R; Tipirneni, Renuka et al. (2013) Antibody responses against Pneumocystis jirovecii in health care workers over time. Emerg Infect Dis 19:1612-9
Walzer, Peter D (2013) The ecology of pneumocystis: perspectives, personal recollections, and future research opportunities. J Eukaryot Microbiol 60:634-45
Djawe, Kpandja; Daly, Kieran R; Vargas, Sergio L et al. (2010) Seroepidemiological study of Pneumocystis jirovecii infection in healthy infants in Chile using recombinant fragments of the P. jirovecii major surface glycoprotein. Int J Infect Dis 14:e1060-6
Daly, K; Koch, J; Respaldiza, N et al. (2009) Geographical variation in serological responses to recombinant Pneumocystis jirovecii major surface glycoprotein antigens. Clin Microbiol Infect 15:937-42
Tipirneni, Renuka; Daly, Kieran R; Jarlsberg, Leah G et al. (2009) Healthcare worker occupation and immune response to Pneumocystis jirovecii. Emerg Infect Dis 15:1590-7
Nkinin, Stephenson W; Daly, Kieran R; Walzer, Peter D et al. (2009) Evidence for high prevalence of Pneumocystis jirovecii exposure among Cameroonians. Acta Trop 112:219-24
Walzer, Peter D; Djawe, Kpandja; Levin, Linda et al. (2009) Long-term serologic responses to the Pneumocystis jirovecii major surface glycoprotein in HIV-positive individuals with and without P. jirovecii infection. J Infect Dis 199:1335-44
Walzer, Peter D; Evans, Hannah E R; Copas, Andrew J et al. (2008) Early predictors of mortality from Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in HIV-infected patients: 1985-2006. Clin Infect Dis 46:625-33
Daly, K R; Koch, J V; Shire, N J et al. (2006) Human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with prior Pneumocystis pneumonia exhibit increased serologic reactivity to several major surface glycoprotein clones. Clin Vaccine Immunol 13:1071-8