The effect of COVID-19 on the frequency of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia: a monocentric, retrospective, and observational study.

BACKGROUND: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) and SARS-CoV2 share some similarities in their effects on the respiratory system, clinical presentation, and management. The COVID-19 pandemic required rapid action to curb transmission and mitigate its lethiferous impact. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were globally adopted. We hypothesized that these measures reduced the transmission and acquisition of P. jirovecii in both hospital and community settings. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study on 2950 respiratory specimens from patients with suspected pulmonary infection, analyzed at the Laboratory of Parasitology Unit of the Policlinico Tor Vergata of Rome, Italy, from January 2014 to December 2022. RESULTS: We show a significant reduction in the frequency of PCP in the COVID-19 pandemic era compared to the previous period. Among the four sequence types of P. jirovecii identified, genotype 1 was the most prevalent (37%). We observed a non-significant trend of decreasing cases with genotype 1 and increasing cases with genotype 3 over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The nationwide implementation of NPIs against COVID-19 may have changed the microbiological landscape of exposure, thereby decreasing the exposure to P. jirovecii and consequently reducing the incidence of PCP.

Performance Evaluation of the New Chemiluminescence Immunoassay CL-1200i for HBV, HIV Panels.

Infectious diseases such as HIV and HBV are a global concern for their impact in terms of public health and costs for national health services. A central role in contrasting the spread of the infections is represented by timely diagnosis. The speed of detection depends on several factors including the type of test used. Antibody response to hepatitis B surface antigens (anti-HBs) is an important serological marker used for HBV-infection detection. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of the Abbott system and of the new analyser Mindray 1200i in the detection of HBV- and HIV-infections. Clinical serum samples were collected from patients randomly selected from PTV University Hospital of University of Rome "Tor Vergata" and tested for HBV and HIV antibodies. Samples were evaluated by Mindray Cl 1200i CLIA screening tests for HBV and HIV and the results were compared with the Abbott Architect analytical system, the routine instrument of the hospital clinical biochemistry laboratory. Precision study, linearity, and carryover were performed on the results obtained. The agreement between the results of the Abbott and Mindray CLIA ranged from 99% to 100% and the discrepancy rate from 0% to 1%. The measurements demonstrated that the Mindray CL-1200i platform offers high-level performance with accurate and consistent test results and could represent a valuable tool if implemented in routine analysis.