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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Pulmonary Medicine
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1567484
Diagnostic Value of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in Detecting Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia in HIV-Infected Patients
Provisionally accepted
Jiawen He 
Ying Chen Zhuxiu Jiang 
Feng Li 
Mingli Zhu 
Zhibo Xu Meihua Wang Meng Tang Yuanting Wu Yang Li *- Hangzhou Xixi Hospital, Hangzhou, China
This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in detecting Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) in identifying Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) among HIV-positive patients, in comparison with PCR, GMS (Gomori Methenamine Silver) staining, and serum β-D-glucan (BG) assays. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were examined from 34 HIV patients diagnosed with PJP and 50 with non-PJP pneumonia. Both mNGS and PCR achieved 100% sensitivity, with mNGS showing slightly higher specificity (91.3% vs. 88%). mNGS surpassed conventional diagnostic methods in detecting co-infections, manifesting a higher negative predictive value (NPV) and enhanced diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.898). The predominant copathogens identified in PJP patients included cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and non-tuberculous mycobacteria. These results underscore the potential of mNGS as a comprehensive diagnostic modality for PJP in patients with HIV infection.
Keywords: metagenomic next-generation sequencing, HIV, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid, Diagnostic performance, Co-infection
Received: 27 Jan 2025; Accepted: 11 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 He, Chen, Jiang, Li, Zhu, Xu, Wang, Tang, Wu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yang Li, Hangzhou Xixi Hospital, Hangzhou, China
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