Find in Library

Few data are available in the literature regarding <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> infection in children under 3 years old. This retrospective cohort study aimed to describe medically relevant information among them. All children under 3 years old treated in the same medical units from April 2014 to August 2020 and in whom a <i>P. jirovecii</i> evaluation was undertaken were enrolled in the study. A positive case was defined as a child presenting at least one positive PCR for <i>P. jirovecii</i> in a respiratory sample. Medically relevant information such as demographical characteristics, clinical presentation, microbiological co-infections, and treatments were collected. The objectives were to describe the characteristics of these children with <i>P. jirovecii</i> colonization/infection to determine the key underlying diseases and risk factors, and to identify viral respiratory pathogens associated. The PCR was positive for <i>P. jirovecii</i> in 32 children. Cardiopulmonary pathologies (21.9%) were the most common underlying disease in them, followed by severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) (18.8%), hyaline membrane disease (15.6%), asthma (9.4%) and acute leukaemia (6.3%). All SCID children were diagnosed with <i>pneumocystis</i> pneumonia. Co-infection with Pj/Rhinovirus (34.4%) was not significant. Overall mortality was 18.8%. Paediatric <i>pneumocystis</i> is not restricted to patients with HIV or SCID and should be considered in pneumonia in children under 3 years old.