CA23142 - Developing Knowledge involved in diagnosis and control of human-diseases related to Pneumocystis (Delve-into-Pneumocystis)

Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP) remains a major public health problem, especially in developing countries, with high morbidity and mortality among immunosuppressed patients, mainly in those infected with HIV, where it is the first defining cause of AIDS. In developed countries, PcP continues to be a frequent problem among subjects who do not know they are HIV infected, who do not access antiretrovirals, who do not tolerate or do not perform chemoprophylaxis, and in cases where prophylaxis fails, probably due to the development of Pneumocystis jirovecii strains with drug resistance, a phenomenon that is also emerging in a threatening way in developing countries. Furthermore, the greater aggressiveness of current chemotherapy and the more frequent use of immunosuppressants for autoimmune diseases or transplant recipients have meant that the incidence of PcP is increasing in these patients worldwide.

However, today the interest in P. jirovecii transcends immunosuppressed subjects, and increasing data suggest that we know only the tip of the iceberg of the manifestations that Pneumocystis infection can produce in humans. In this sense, primary Pneumocystis infection has been related to Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in infants and seems to play a role in the pathogenesis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Asthma.

The Action will improve prevention, management, diagnostics and treatment of patients with Pneumocystis infection by better integrating clinical knowledge and research. This will be done by developing collaborations between hospitals, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and small/medium enterprises through a structured, coordinated, and open European research network.