RT Journal Article T1 Early Acquisition of Pneumocystis jirovecii Colonization and Potential Association With Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Preterm Newborn Infants. A1 Rojas, Pilar A1 Friaza, Vicente A1 García, Elisa A1 de la Horra, Carmen A1 Vargas, Sergio L A1 Calderón, Enrique J A1 Pavón, Antonio K1 pneumocystis K1 preterm infants K1 respiratory distress syndrome AB Pneumocystis pneumonia is a well-recognized lung disease of premature and malnourished babies. Even though serologic studies have shown that children are exposed to Pneumocystis jirovecii early in life, the epidemiology of human P. jirovecii infection and the host-microorganism relationship in infancy remain poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of P. jirovecii colonization in preterm infants and its possible association with medical complications. A prospective observational study of preterm infants (birth weight A total of 128 preterm infants were included during the study period. Pneumocystis DNA was identified in 25.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.8%-33.7%) of newborns studied. A significant increase of respiratory distress syndrome in colonized group, even after adjusting for confounding factors (odds ratio, 2.7 [95% CI, 1.0-7.5]; P = .04), was observed. No differences were observed in other medical conditions between the 2 groups. Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization is frequent in preterm births and could be a risk factor to develop respiratory distress syndrome among preterm infants. YR 2017 FD 2017 LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/11206 UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/11206 LA en DS RISalud RD Apr 9, 2025