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BACKGROUND Eighteen renal transplant recipients (RTRs) developed Pneumocystis jirovecii infections at the renal transplantation unit of Brest University Hospital (Brest, Brittany, France) from May 2008 through April 2010, whereas no cases of P. jirovecii infection had been diagnosed in this unit since 2002. This outbreak was investigated by identifying P. jirovecii types and analyzing patient encounters. METHODS The identification of P. jirovecii internal transcribed spacer (ITS) types was performed on P. jirovecii isolates from the 18 RTRs (12 patients with Pneumocystis pneumonia [PCP], 6 colonized patients), 22 unlinked control patients (18 patients with PCP, 4 colonized patients), and 69 patients (34 patients with PCP, 35 colonized patients) with contemporaneously diagnosed P. jirovecii infections in the Brest geographic area. A transmission map was drawn up. Its analysis was combined with the results of P. jirovecii typing. RESULTS P. jirovecii ITS type identification was successful in 14 of 18 RTRs, 15 of 22 control patients, and 48 of the 69 patients. Type Eg was the most frequent type in the 3 patient groups. However, its frequency was significantly higher in the first patient group than in the 2 other groups (P < .05 and P < .01, respectively). Fourteen encounters between RTRs who harbored an identical type were observed. Ten patients were considered as possible index patients, of whom 3 were colonized by the fungus, and 7 presented PCP. CONCLUSIONS The results provide to our knowledge the first data on the role of colonized patients as potential sources of P. jirovecii in a context of nosocomial acquisition of the fungus.

Infections caused by Cunninghamella bertholletiae are rare but severe. Only 32 cases have been reported as yet, but in 26 of these this species was a contributing cause of the death of the patient. This opportunistic mould in the order Mucorales infects immunocompromized patients suffering from haematological malignancies or diabetes mellitus, as well as solid organ transplant patients. The lung is the organ most often involved. Two cases of primary cutaneous infection have been previously reported subsequent to soft-tissue injuries. We report a case of primary cutaneous C. bertholletiae zygomycosis in a 54-year-old, insulin-dependent diabetic man who was treated with tacrolimus and steroids after kidney transplantation. No extracutaneous involvement was found. In this patient, the infection may have been related to insulin injections. The patient recovered after an early surgical excision of the lesion and daily administration of itraconazole for 2 months. This case emphasizes the importance of an early diagnosis of cutaneous zygomycosis, which often presents as necrotic-looking lesions. Prompt institution of antifungal therapy and rapid surgical intervention are necessary to improve the prospects of patients who have contracted these potentially severe infections.