Abstract
Background/Objectives: This study examines the clinical characteristics of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PjP) in non-Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients in Hungary to describe its local epidemiological properties. Methods: Our study was conducted at a clinical center with more than 1700 beds at the University of Debrecen in Hungary. We included all patients without HIV infection for whom a diagnostic evaluation for Pneumocystis infection had been requested between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2024. Results: In total, 21 cases of PjP were identified from 122 requests at the University of Debrecen Clinical Center between 2022 and 2024. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 43% in PjP. Admission to the intensive care unit (odds ratio [OR] 5.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.87-14.09, p = 0.001), the need for mechanical ventilation (OR 4.09, 95% CI 1.45-12.14, p = 0.015) and hematological malignancies (OR 3.24, 95% CI 1.23-9.18, p = 0.024), were associated with Pneumocystis PCR positivity. Furthermore, a significant association was observed between elevated levels of C-reactive protein (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1-1.01, p = 0.001), 30-day mortality (OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.09-7.92, p = 0.049), and Pneumocystis PCR positivity. Regarding diagnostic platforms used, Fujifilm Wako assay detected serum (1-3)-β-D-glucan positivity (>7 pg/mL) from 352 copies/mL in non-HIV patients with probable PJP. Conclusions: Our study serves as a gap-filling investigation, providing an overview of Pneumocystis epidemiology in the Central European region.