Open AccessDihydrofolate reductase gene polymorphisms in Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. hominis in Japan
Author(s) -
Takashi Takahashi,
Tokiomi Endo,
Tetsuya Nakamura,
Hiroyuki Sakashita,
Kyoko Kimura,
Kenji Ohnishi,
Yoshihiro Kitamura,
Aikichi Iwamoto
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.91
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1473-5644
pISSN - 0022-2615
DOI - 10.1099/0022-1317-51-6-510
Subject(s) - pneumocystis carinii , dihydrofolate reductase , dihydropteroate synthase , biology , gene , genetics , methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase , amino acid , virology , reductase , amino acid substitution , microbiology and biotechnology , enzyme , mutation , genotype , pyrimethamine , pneumocystis jirovecii , biochemistry , immunology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , plasmodium falciparum , malaria
This study examined polymorphisms in the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene of Pneumocystis carinii isolates from 27 patients with P. carinii pneumonia (PCP) in Japan. Four substitution sites with two synonymous and two non-synonymous changes were found. Two synonymous substitutions at nucleotide positions 540 and 312 were identified in one and 13 patients, respectively. Two amino acid substitutions (Ala67Val, Cysl66Tyr) were found in two different patients. No linkage of amino acid substitutions in DHFR to those in dihydropteroate synthase was observed. The two patients whose isolates showed non-synonymous DHFR mutations were not exposed to DHFR inhibitors before they developed PCP and were treated successfully with co-trimoxazole.
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