FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / J Clin Microbiol / Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in thoroughbred foals: identi...
Journal of clinical microbiology1994; 32(1); 213-216; doi: 10.1128/jcm.32.1.213-216.1994

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in thoroughbred foals: identification of a genetically distinct organism by DNA amplification.

Abstract: Genetically distinct forms of Pneumocystis carinii infect several mammalian hosts. We report the amplification of P. carinii DNA from samples of two infected thoroughbred foal lungs by using primers designed from the sequence of a P. carinii mitochondrial rRNA gene; these primers also prime the amplification of P. carinii DNA from other hosts. The nucleotide sequence of part of the mitochondrial rRNA gene amplified from P. carinii infecting one of the foals was determined and found to be distinct from that of published rat-, rabbit-, ferret-, and human-derived P. carinii sequences.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 1994-01-01 PubMed ID: 8126183PubMed Central: PMC263000DOI: 10.1128/jcm.32.1.213-216.1994Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Comparative Study
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research studied the genetic makeup of the strain of Pneumocystis carinii, a fungus that causes pneumonia, found in thoroughbred foals and found it to be unique from strains identified in other mammals.

Identification of Pneumocystis carinii

  • The study was started to identify the distinct forms of Pneumocystis carinii, a fungus related to the cause of pneumonia.
  • The focus was on the infected lungs of two thoroughbred foals, believed to host this particular fungus.

DNA Amplification

  • The researchers used a method known as DNA amplification to detect the presence of P. carinii DNA within the samples.
  • This was done using known drimers designed from the sequence of a P. carinii mitochondrial rRNA gene; these primers are responsible for beginning the process of DNA amplification.
  • The methodology aims to make multiple copies of a specific DNA sequence, enabling the researchers to have a large enough sample to work with.

Comparative Sequence Analysis

  • The DNA fragments amplified from the infected foal lungs were then sequenced to determine their exact genetic composition.
  • The obtained nucleotide sequence was then compared to existing sequences of P. carinii derived from other hosts such as rats, ferrets, rabbits, and even humans.
  • Through this comparative analysis, the researchers identified the foal-derived strain of P. carinii to be genetically distinct from the other sequences.

Conclusion

  • Overall, the research provides new insight into the genetic variation of P. carinii within different hosts and points towards the possible existence of host-specific strains of the fungus.
  • Such findings can aid in the development of targeted treatment options for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in different hosts.

Cite This Article

APA
Peters SE, Wakefield AE, Whitwell KE, Hopkin JM. (1994). Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in thoroughbred foals: identification of a genetically distinct organism by DNA amplification. J Clin Microbiol, 32(1), 213-216. https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.32.1.213-216.1994

Publication

Journal of clinical microbiology
ISSN: 0095-1137
NlmUniqueID: 7505564
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 32
Issue: 1
Pages: 213-216

Researcher Affiliations

Peters, S E
  • Department of Paediatrics, Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Wakefield, A E
    Whitwell, K E
      Hopkin, J M

        MeSH Terms

        • Animals
        • Base Sequence
        • DNA Primers
        • DNA, Mitochondrial / genetics
        • DNA, Ribosomal / genetics
        • Female
        • Ferrets
        • Gene Amplification
        • Horse Diseases / microbiology
        • Horses
        • Humans
        • Lung / microbiology
        • Male
        • Mice
        • Molecular Sequence Data
        • Pneumocystis / classification
        • Pneumocystis / genetics
        • Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / genetics
        • Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / microbiology
        • Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / veterinary
        • Rabbits
        • Rats
        • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
        • Species Specificity

        Grant Funding

        • Wellcome Trust

        References

        This article includes 22 references
        1. Farrow BR, Watson AD, Hartley WJ, Huxtable CR. Pneumocystis pneumonia in the dog.. J Comp Pathol 1972 Oct;82(4):447-53.
          pubmed: 4265168doi: 10.1016/0021-9975(72)90044-8google scholar: lookup
        2. Cushion MT, Zhang J, Kaselis M, Giuntoli D, Stringer SL, Stringer JR. Evidence for two genetic variants of Pneumocystis carinii coinfecting laboratory rats.. J Clin Microbiol 1993 May;31(5):1217-23.
          pubmed: 8501222doi: 10.1128/jcm.31.5.1217-1223.1993google scholar: lookup
        3. Perryman LE, McGuire TC, Crawford TB. Maintenance of foals with combined immunodeficiency: causes and control of secondary infections.. Am J Vet Res 1978 Jun;39(6):1043-7.
          pubmed: 208432
        4. Biggin MD, Gibson TJ, Hong GF. Buffer gradient gels and 35S label as an aid to rapid DNA sequence determination.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1983 Jul;80(13):3963-5.
          pubmed: 6575390doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.13.3963google scholar: lookup
        5. Devereux J, Haeberli P, Smithies O. A comprehensive set of sequence analysis programs for the VAX.. Nucleic Acids Res 1984 Jan 11;12(1 Pt 1):387-95.
          pubmed: 6546423doi: 10.1093/nar/12.1part1.387google scholar: lookup
        6. Hughes WT, Gigliotti F. Nomenclature for Pneumocystis carinii.. J Infect Dis 1988 Mar;157(3):432-3.
          pubmed: 3257782doi: 10.1093/infdis/157.3.432google scholar: lookup
        7. Edman JC, Kovacs JA, Masur H, Santi DV, Elwood HJ, Sogin ML. Ribosomal RNA sequence shows Pneumocystis carinii to be a member of the fungi.. Nature 1988 Aug 11;334(6182):519-22.
          pubmed: 2970013doi: 10.1038/334519a0google scholar: lookup
        8. Kovacs JA, Halpern JL, Lundgren B, Swan JC, Parrillo JE, Masur H. Monoclonal antibodies to Pneumocystis carinii: identification of specific antigens and characterization of antigenic differences between rat and human isolates.. J Infect Dis 1989 Jan;159(1):60-70.
          pubmed: 2642522doi: 10.1093/infdis/159.1.60google scholar: lookup
        9. Stringer SL, Stringer JR, Blase MA, Walzer PD, Cushion MT. Pneumocystis carinii: sequence from ribosomal RNA implies a close relationship with fungi.. Exp Parasitol 1989 May;68(4):450-61.
          pubmed: 2470612doi: 10.1016/0014-4894(89)90130-6google scholar: lookup
        10. Hultman T, Ståhl S, Hornes E, Uhlén M. Direct solid phase sequencing of genomic and plasmid DNA using magnetic beads as solid support.. Nucleic Acids Res 1989 Jul 11;17(13):4937-46.
          pubmed: 2668874doi: 10.1093/nar/17.13.4937google scholar: lookup
        11. Bille-Hansen V, Jorsal SE, Henriksen SA, Settnes OP. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in Danish piglets.. Vet Rec 1990 Oct 20;127(16):407-8.
          pubmed: 2267715
        12. Wakefield AE, Pixley FJ, Banerji S, Sinclair K, Miller RF, Moxon ER, Hopkin JM. Amplification of mitochondrial ribosomal RNA sequences from Pneumocystis carinii DNA of rat and human origin.. Mol Biochem Parasitol 1990 Nov;43(1):69-76.
          pubmed: 1705311doi: 10.1016/0166-6851(90)90131-5google scholar: lookup
        13. Sinclair K, Wakefield AE, Banerji S, Hopkin JM. Pneumocystis carinii organisms derived from rat and human hosts are genetically distinct.. Mol Biochem Parasitol 1991 Mar;45(1):183-4.
          pubmed: 1711155doi: 10.1016/0166-6851(91)90042-5google scholar: lookup
        14. Bartlett MS, Smith JW. Pneumocystis carinii, an opportunist in immunocompromised patients.. Clin Microbiol Rev 1991 Apr;4(2):137-49.
          pubmed: 2070342doi: 10.1128/CMR.4.2.137google scholar: lookup
        15. Pixley FJ, Wakefield AE, Banerji S, Hopkin JM. Mitochondrial gene sequences show fungal homology for Pneumocystis carinii.. Mol Microbiol 1991 Jun;5(6):1347-51.
          pubmed: 1664905doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1991.tb00781.xgoogle scholar: lookup
        16. Wakefield AE, Peters SE, Banerji S, Bridge PD, Hall GS, Hawksworth DL, Guiver LA, Allen AG, Hopkin JM. Pneumocystis carinii shows DNA homology with the ustomycetous red yeast fungi.. Mol Microbiol 1992 Jul;6(14):1903-11.
          pubmed: 1508039doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1992.tb01363.xgoogle scholar: lookup
        17. Peters SE, Wakefield AE, Banerji S, Hopkin JM. Quantification of the detection of Pneumocystis carinii by DNA amplification.. Mol Cell Probes 1992 Apr;6(2):115-7.
          pubmed: 1513340doi: 10.1016/0890-8508(92)90055-3google scholar: lookup
        18. Leigh TR, Wakefield AE, Peters SE, Hopkin JM, Collins JV. Comparison of DNA amplification and immunofluorescence for detecting Pneumocystis carinii in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy.. Transplantation 1992 Sep;54(3):468-70.
          pubmed: 1384181doi: 10.1097/00007890-199209000-00016google scholar: lookup
        19. Edlind TD, Bartlett MS, Weinberg GA, Prah GN, Smith JW. The beta-tubulin gene from rat and human isolates of Pneumocystis carinii.. Mol Microbiol 1992 Nov;6(22):3365-73.
          pubmed: 1484490doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1992.tb02204.xgoogle scholar: lookup
        20. Bauer NL, Paulsrud JR, Bartlett MS, Smith JW, Wilde CE 3rd. Pneumocystis carinii organisms obtained from rats, ferrets, and mice are antigenically different.. Infect Immun 1993 Apr;61(4):1315-9.
          pubmed: 8454333doi: 10.1128/iai.61.4.1315-1319.1993google scholar: lookup
        21. Lee CH, Lu JJ, Bartlett MS, Durkin MM, Liu TH, Wang J, Jiang B, Smith JW. Nucleotide sequence variation in Pneumocystis carinii strains that infect humans.. J Clin Microbiol 1993 Mar;31(3):754-7.
          pubmed: 7681441doi: 10.1128/jcm.31.3.754-757.1993google scholar: lookup
        22. Sanger F, Nicklen S, Coulson AR. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1977 Dec;74(12):5463-7.
          pubmed: 271968doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5463google scholar: lookup

        Citations

        This article has been cited 10 times.
        1. Stringer JR, Keely SP. Genetics of surface antigen expression in Pneumocystis carinii. Infect Immun 2001 Feb;69(2):627-39.
          doi: 10.1128/IAI.69.2.627-639.2001pubmed: 11159949google scholar: lookup
        2. Kaneshiro ES, Wyder MA. C27 to C32 sterols found in Pneumocystis, an opportunistic pathogen of immunocompromised mammals. Lipids 2000 Mar;35(3):317-24.
          doi: 10.1007/s11745-000-0528-8pubmed: 10783009google scholar: lookup
        3. Sunkin SM, Linke MJ, McCormack FX, Walzer PD, Stringer JR. Identification of a putative precursor to the major surface glycoprotein of Pneumocystis carinii. Infect Immun 1998 Feb;66(2):741-6.
          doi: 10.1128/IAI.66.2.741-746.1998pubmed: 9453635google scholar: lookup
        4. Furuta T, Muramatsu H, Fujie A, Fujihira S, Abudullah NR, Kojima S. Therapeutic effects of water-soluble echinocandin compounds on Pneumocystis pneumonia in mice. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1998 Jan;42(1):37-9.
          doi: 10.1128/AAC.42.1.37pubmed: 9449257google scholar: lookup
        5. Stringer JR. Pneumocystis carinii: what is it, exactly?. Clin Microbiol Rev 1996 Oct;9(4):489-98.
          doi: 10.1128/CMR.9.4.489pubmed: 8894348google scholar: lookup
        6. Wakefield AE. DNA sequences identical to Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. carinii and Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. hominis in samples of air spora. J Clin Microbiol 1996 Jul;34(7):1754-9.
          doi: 10.1128/JCM.34.7.1754-1759.1996pubmed: 8784583google scholar: lookup
        7. Shah JS, Pieciak W, Liu J, Buharin A, Lane DJ. Diversity of host species and strains of Pneumocystis carinii is based on rRNA sequences. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 1996 Jan;3(1):119-27.
          doi: 10.1128/cdli.3.1.119-127.1996pubmed: 8770515google scholar: lookup
        8. Miller RF, Mitchell DM. AIDS and the lung: update 1995. 1. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Thorax 1995 Feb;50(2):191-200.
          doi: 10.1136/thx.50.2.191pubmed: 7701463google scholar: lookup
        9. Wakefield AE, Fritscher CC, Malin AS, Gwanzura L, Hughes WT, Miller RF. Genetic diversity in human-derived Pneumocystis carinii isolates from four geographical locations shown by analysis of mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences. J Clin Microbiol 1994 Dec;32(12):2959-61.
          doi: 10.1128/jcm.32.12.2959-2961.1994pubmed: 7533779google scholar: lookup
        10. Weissenbacher-Lang C, Grenl A, Blasi B. Meta-Analysis and Systematic Literature Review of the Genus Pneumocystis in Pet, Farm, Zoo, and Wild Mammal Species. J Fungi (Basel) 2023 Nov 4;9(11).
          doi: 10.3390/jof9111081pubmed: 37998885google scholar: lookup
        Subscribe to our newsletter
        Join 99,359 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.