Pneumocystis jirovecii NAT (Calgary/South)
- Test Name:
- Pneumocystis jirovecii NAT (Calgary/South)
- Organism(s)/Disease(s):
-
Pneumocystis jirovecii
Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP/PJP)
- Preferred Body Source(s):
-
Bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL).
- Body Source(s):
-
Bronchial wash (BW)
Endotracheal tube aspirate (ETA)
Sputum
Tissue - lung
-
Clinical Prerequisite(s):
-
Expectorated sputum specimens are not acceptable and will not be processed
- Collection Device/Tube Type:
-
60 mL sterile, plastic container
- Comments:
-
Minimum volume: 1 mL
- Handling and Storage:
-
Transport/submit to laboratory as soon as possible after collection
- Turnaround Times
- See Microbiology Information»
- Comments:
-
Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid is the preferred specimen type. For BAL specimens, molecular methods are 97-99% sensitive and 90-94% specific1
Bronchial wash, induced sputum, and endotracheal aspirates are also accepted but the assay has not been validated for these specimen types. Test performance has not been established2
References:
1Diagnosing Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia: a review of current methods and novel approaches. Medical Mycology 58: 1010-1028
2Non-invasive diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Clinical Microbiology and Infection - Last Reviewed:
- 06 May 2023
