RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Pneumocystis colonization in asthmatic patients not receiving oral corticosteroid therapy JF Journal of Investigative Medicine JO J Investig Med FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd SP 800 OP 802 DO 10.1136/jim-2016-000381 VO 65 IS 4 A1 Davey, Emma L A1 Colombo, Rhonda E A1 Fiorentino, Charles A1 Fahle, Gary A1 Davey, Richard T A1 Olivier, Kenneth N A1 Kovacs, Joseph A YR 2017 UL http://jim.bmj.com/content/65/4/800.abstract AB Pneumocystis jirovecii can colonize patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. To determine if colonization occurs in asthma patients, sputum samples from 10 patients with mild asthma, who were not receiving oral corticosteroids, were evaluated by a sensitive real-time PCR assay that targets a multicopy gene of P. jirovecii. 2 patients (20%) had Pneumocystis DNA detected; 1 patient had 3 positive samples over an 11-day period. Thus, Pneumocystis colonization occurs in asthma patients, and further studies are warranted to evaluate its role in airways disease.Trial registration number NCT01113034.